Brave New World
by ComanderSprings
Summary: When Juliette Ronson, a teen born in Kalos, moves to Alola she believes her chances of living exciting adventures are over. The thing is, she is very far from the truth! Thanks to her grandma, Juliette discovers she still can chase her dream of encountering the Legendary Pokémon she admired ever since she was a little girl. Will she take the chance?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Every time night fell over Anistar City it was a magic moment, especially for a certain person. A little girl awaited anxiously nighttime because she knew that then, either her father or her grandmother would tell her stories that made her dream of adventures she wished she was involved in, things that she hoped to get to experience some day. Those stories made her believe that everything was possible and helped her escape from reality because, at her young age, that little girl was holding out for a hero.

"Dad, tell me again that story from last night!" The little girl was already tucked in her bed, her eyes sparkling like the city's sundial did at midday.

"Of course! It's one of my favorites too." Her father smiled upon seeing his daughter's enthusiasm. Sadly, seeing her like that was relatively rare. "But remember Juliette, grandma tells it better than I do!" The man laughed.

"I don't mind, I know you can tell it well too!" The little girl encouraged him, eager to hear that fable again.

"Alright then! Let's begin." Juliette's father cleared his throat. "Many years ago, when the Kalos region was still at its dawn, the first humans appeared. At first, they took care of the land like they should, treating it with great respect. The three deities that reigned in the region…" The man paused so his daughter named the Pokémon, whose names she knew by heart.

"Xerneas, Yveltal _and_ Zygarde!"

"Well done!" Her father congratulated before continuing with the story. "Yes, those three Pokémon looked over the humans and Pokémon living in the young region. While Xerneas gave life to all the inhabitants of Kalos, Yveltal took it away whenever the time came and Zygarde made sure that balance existed between the two Pokémon and their duties. He also looked over the environment of the region, punishing those who harmed it in any way."

"What did he do?" Juliette asked excitedly, she wanted to know every detail, it always was like that whenever she heard one of those stories. Even if she already heard them before.

"Well, he exiled them to the southern part of the region, at that time it was a very arid and harsh place. Many of those who had the ill luck of falling into that place ended up regretting their bad actions." The man paused before continuing, marking a change of subject in the tale. "Alright, what came next? Oh, I got it! After many people harmed the ecosystem, the Pokémon decided it was time to do something about it. So, after informing Xerneas and Yveltal, Zygarde split himself into no more and no less than one hundred cells!"

"But what about the cores?" The little girl remembered her grandma mentioning them last night, while her dad seemingly forgot about them. Sometimes he could be a bit absent minded.

"Oh, the cores! See? I told you grandma tells it better than I do." He smiled shaking his head. "Aside from the cells, there were also five cores. Those could see through the cells scattered across the region if everything was going well. Whenever someone did a bad thing or the balance of Kalos was in danger, one of those cores would gather enough cells to where Zygarde could appear to take the pertinent actions."

Juliette pondered for a while after hearing that part of the story. "So, does that mean Zygarde watches over us?"

"Of course! He always does, even after all these years. His duties will never stop." The man ruffled her daughter's hair.

"Is it possible that he knows what I go through at school?"

Those words sounded unsettlingly mature, at least to Juliette's father. It was true that the things Juliette had to put up with at school somehow made her mature fast, maybe as a way of trying to keep the kids from treating her like that. But sadly, that didn't work.

After snapping out of it, the dad finally responded. "Yes, it's very possible. And I don't know how but, I'm sure someday and in some way, he will get to save you from all that."

"Really?" Juliette's eyes lit up with hope, wanting to believe it would indeed happen some day.

"Yes, really!" Her dad smiled once more, he wanted his daughter to stay strong and overcome all those problems. He wanted to continue telling her the tale she loved but after accidentally glancing at his watch, the man found out it was already getting late. "Oh no! It's time to sleep, Juliette. Don't you have an exam in school tomorrow?"

The girl's expression changed suddenly and dramatically; her face didn't show glee or excitement anymore, now she looked just like if somebody told her that she was about to be fed to a pride of Pyroar. After some long seconds of tense silence, Juliette finally spoke. "Yes, it's a Geography exam."

"Did you study for it?"

"Yes, I did." Juliette lied on her side, yawning in the process.

Her dad smiled warmly. "Then you shouldn't have any problem!" He got up from the bed and walked towards the door, opening it with a slow gesture. "And have sweet dreams!"

"Same to you, dad!" The kid answered with a hearty tone, she didn't look that upset anymore.

When her dad closed the door, Juliette lied on her back again and spent several minutes staring at the ceiling as she waited for sleep to catch her. All the legends her father and grandmother told her were fascinating to her and she always pondered about them before falling asleep. Besides that, there were always other thoughts on her mind before falling asleep: would she ever get to see Zygarde, the Pokémon that always saved the day on those stories? Would he ever save her day? Or was he just an imaginary creature that never existed, like the kids at her school always said?

Maybe she would never find an answer to these questions, deep down she knew it was definitely something out of her reach. But, don't they say that everything is possible? All she had to do was wait and see, maybe one day something surprising would happen, nobody knows what fate has in store...

 _ **Present time, 7 years later**_

Juliette never imagined she would have to do this, she was convinced that she would live in Kalos for the rest of her life… But there she was now, getting ready to take a flight to a region she knew nothing about. Alola, she believes it was called. They were going there because of a job opportunity that emerged for her mother, she got an offer to work in the Pokémon Center of Paniola Town and after thinking about it, she finally said yes. Besides, as the woman said, that would finally make Juliette get away from the bullies at high school. That was one of the advantages of being hated by everyone, she had no one to miss after leaving Kalos. Well, actually, that wasn't the truth.

There was the Pokémon she had always heard about ever since she was a little girl, the Pokémon she hoped to see by herself one day. Now she was leaving the only region where that Pokémon could be found, the region he watched over. Deep down, Juliette always knew she would never see Zygarde. Maybe her cruel classmates were right after all and the Pokémon simply didn't exist.

But her grandma had a very big surprise for her, a surprise she refused to unveil until they reached the region where their new home awaited them. Maybe it was just a little thing, like her new bedroom being bigger or something. Little did she know that her grandmother's surprise would revolutionize her world!


	2. Chapter 1

_"_ _Out there_

 _There's a world outside of Yonkers_

 _Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby_

 _There's a slick town, Barnaby_

 _Out there_

 _Full of shine and full of sparkle_

 _Close your eyes and see it glisten, Barnaby_

 _Listen, Barnaby…"_

Even if they didn't want to admit it, the change of scenery hit everyone like a truck. Juliette and her family changed the opulent Anistar City and its glorious sundial for the rustic Paniola Town, a place that looked straight out of a Western movie. The change of region was shocking too but in a good sense. So far, everyone in Alola seemed to be really kind and welcoming. That's something Juliette really liked, she thought that maybe it meant she wouldn't have trouble with rude punks on high school.

Her parents already made sure to sign her up for a new school, one located on Heahea City. Juliette tried to convince herself that she wouldn't have problems anymore and on top of that, her mother constantly told her that everyone in Alola is very nice and welcoming and so far, that had been the truth. From the taxi driver that picked them up at the airport to the random passerbys on the street, every single person greeted them making a rainbow shaped gesture and uttering a cheery "Alola!". At first, they all were confused about how people used the region's name to address them, but a quick look at one of the many touristic leaflets that the family carried with them revealed that in the region, people greet each other saying "Alola". Now that was some interesting info to them!

Although the plane ride was more than over, there was still a lot to do, some of the family's belongings still had to arrive from their former region and the porch of their new house was chock-full of cardboard boxes filled with diverse stuff. They all were labeled according to which room of the house the things belonged to or who the owner of said items was. The house was fully furnished for the most part but of course, the family still needed to bring quite a few things with them. Most of their clothing was stuffed in their briefcases and in Juliette's case, the pokéballs where her pokémon rest were inside her bag. She was sure her Frogadier Halbert and her Bulbasaur Poppy would be happy with the new region too, she told them about it a couple of weeks before leaving and they seemed happy. They even helped the family to pack up stuff!

Juliette always wanted to go on a journey of her own like most of the kids at her school did, but the constant putting down from her classmates and her grandma telling her that waiting a bit for setting on a journey wasn't a bad thing made her postpone that moment more and more. However, she did get her first pokémon almost at the same time as everybody else. Her first pokémon was a Froakie that Juliette herself went to pick up at Sycamore's lab a few weeks after her tenth birthday. After that, kids at her school accused her of "trying to be cool" by choosing the most popular starter, which was not true. Juliette simply chose the one she liked the most.

More recently, around five months ago, Juliette decided that Halbert (who was already a Frogadier) might feel lonely and she decided to visit Sycamore again. This time the professor allowed her to choose between the three starters native to Kanto. Being a big fan of plants and botany, Bulbasaur caught her eye immediately. Juliette was more than happy with her choice but, of course, her classmates had to put their two cents in. This time what they had to say was that she chose the lamest of the starters and that she should have chosen Charmander because Charizard is cooler and stronger. That day, Juliette told those people they acted like five-year-olds and for some reason, they stopped bothering her for the rest of the day.

But all that people wasn't important anymore, she left them behind on Kalos and she certainly wouldn't miss them one bit, just like they declared how they were more than happy that she was leaving. The idea of having to face new people in a new school wasn't something that made Juliette too happy, but she knew it was a necessary evil if she wanted to keep up with her studies.

Although she didn't collect badges or anything, sometimes she trained with her pokémon. She even battled from time to time with her classmates, in fact, Halbert evolved into Frogadier during a considerably heated battle against a jock's Garchomp. Needless to say, Juliette and her pokémon didn't win that battle, but she was very proud about her pokémon evolving… and worried about the wound he got across his left eye, which turned into a scar that according to Juliette's grandma makes her Frogadier look like "a seasoned warrior".

"Juliette!" Her mother's voice made Juliette return to reality, she accidentally started daydreaming about that important battle where her first pokémon evolved. "Can you help me take these boxes to the kitchen?"

"Of course!" The girl approached one of the cardboard boxes at a fast pace and with a gentle knee flexion, she held the box.

It was pretty heavy but Juliette didn't say anything, she didn't want to stand there like a statue doing nothing. In the meantime, her father and grandmother were also starting to take boxes here and there.

"Hey Rachel, don't forget the kitchen is almost one of the first things you see after crossing the door!" Juliette's father exclaimed before disappearing through the house's main door, carrying a rather big box.

"We'll keep that in mind, Mainard!" His wife answered with a small smile as she and her daughter finally entered their new house.

The first thing they saw was an average sized living room decorated with rustic furniture, keeping up with the ambient of the town. A brown three-seat sofa sat in front of a medium-sized TV, it was big enough so everyone could watch it without having to worry about their place on the couch. Speaking of the sofa, there was a brown armchair on either side of it. Between the seats and the TV, there was a wooden coffee table that mimicked a wooden log cut in half. That gave the whole room a unique air, it was still rustic but with a modern touch. The white wall next to one of the armchairs was full of various framed pictures that no one could stop to look at yet, the whole family was too busy to worry about them.

Without getting too distracted, Juliette and her mother made their way to the kitchen. Just like Mainard said before, it was very easy to spot. The inside of the room could be seen from outside, an arch and not a door was what separated the kitchen from the rest of the house. Once she and her mother were inside, Juliette saw the room's size was more than acceptable compared to her former house's kitchen.

"This is twice as big as that shoebox of a kitchen!" Juliette laughed as she put down on one of the counters the box she was carrying.

Rachel did the same, retrieving from her pocket a cutter to open her box. "Yes, maybe now we could have dinner here. I always wanted to do that!"

"Now let's just hope your new job here allows us to do it." The teen said that almost without realizing, she was just thinking out loud. That earned her a sigh from her mother, who didn't want to answer to her statement.

Both started placing various items in their respective places; an old figure of a cook with an enormous mustache was placed right next to their brand new sink, the same spot it occupied in the old house. Then, while helping each other, they organized all of the cutlery on a drawer on one of the counters, there was at least six of them and they all were made of granite and mahogany wood. They also attached the spice rack to the wall, although some time was wasted while they waited for Mainard to bring them the tools they needed.

Half an hour later, both were done in the kitchen. Rachel turned to face her daughter with a smile on her face. "You can go upstairs to check your bedroom if you want, it's the second door on the left."

"Great! But don't hesitate to come and tell me if you need help."

"Don't worry, there are your dad and your grandma too!" Rachel grabbed the now empty cardboard boxes and exited the room.

After her mother disappeared from her sight, Juliette did the same thing and headed for the stairs. In the other house, her bedroom was also upstairs, so that was nothing new for her. The thing that surprised her was how the corridor was wider and longer than in her former house, it made her want to release her pokémon and allow them to run around the place! But she left that for later, at that moment her priority was checking her new room.

The first thing Juliette saw as she opened the door were the light green walls, that was her favorite color and she was delighted to see it on the walls of the room where she would probably spend most of her time. After silently closing the door behind her, she left her bag on top of a desk that was placed right under a window. A small carton box with some of her belongings sat there as well, her father probably put it there while she and her mother organized the kitchen. Juliette had the intention to turn to look at the rest of the room, but something she saw out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Her window faced another window belonging to the house behind hers and it wasn't too far away. Through that window, Juliette saw a boy who looked slightly older than her. He seemed to be practicing some sort of Alolan dance and he brandished a white staff, moving it around as he went "Yah! Hoo! Hee! Hyah!". It was kind of odd, but at the same time Juliette couldn't stop staring, maybe the movements of that dark skinned boy hypnotized her. But that state of mesmerization disappeared as soon as the boy on the other side looked at Juliette's direction, realizing he was being observed.

In an almost automatic gesture, Juliette quickly closed the curtains. "Oh. Flowery curtains." She murmured in a feigned surprised voice observing the colorful pattern. Juliette didn't feel like talking to a complete stranger (like always), especially while feeling so tired. Having to measure her words was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment.

After that interruption, Juliette continued examining her new bedroom. Since it was meant for a teenage girl like her, it didn't look as rustic as what she had seen so far from the new house. The room was actually a bit bigger than her old one, but not by much. She fell instantly in love with her new bed, as soon as the girl sat down on it, she felt like she was sitting on a cloud. The light blue covers were adorned with white polka dots, the color combination really popped thanks to the color of the walls.

Juliette was about to lie on her brand new bed when she heard a few knocks on the door and she told the person outside to come in. It was her grandma, Édith. The woman approached her granddaughter with her usual cheerful smile, hiding something behind her back. "Are you liking the new house so far?"

"Yes, it's pretty good! This room is so cool… And this bed is just so comfy, come sit on it!" Juliette realized she rarely felt this enthused unless certain subjects came up, maybe moving to another region was starting to cause some positive effects on her.

"If you insist! It will probably be good for a poor old woman like me." Édith joked as she walked towards the bed, avoiding to show accidentally what she hid. Once she sat down, she left out a relieved sigh. "I didn't realize how tired I was until now. I think tonight we all are going to go out like a light… Anyway, I wanted to show you a little something I thought you would like." The woman stared at Juliette with an amused expression as she gave her the thing she had been hiding, it was a magazine called "Alola Times" she picked up on the plane and "forgot" to return to its place for reasons.

"Oh no, that's your plotting face!" Juliette laughed. "I wonder what's inside that head of yours."

"Open the magazine and you'll see!" Édith rubbed her hands comically, eager to see her granddaughter's reaction to what she would find inside the booklet.

She opened it to a specific page, the upper corner of one of the pages was folded so finding that specific page was easier. There was an interview that occupied two pages, the interviewees were Sina and Dexio, assistants of Kalos's Professor Sycamore. Juliette remembered seeing them the day she picked up Halbert, they had changed so much! But that wasn't what concerned her, Édith insisted her granddaughter to read a certain part of the interview that she had marked with a small arrow. It read as follows:

 **AT: One of the reasons that brought you and your partner to the region is very special, right?**

 _S: Yes! The main reason we are here is because Professor Sycamore wanted us to investigate something very important on the island… And to relax a bit, of course! (laughs)/_

 **AT: Could you share with our readers what that investigation is about?**

 _D: It's a bit of a complex subject, but we can try to summarize it. Sina?_

 _S: Have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Zygarde?_

Juliette checked twice to see if she read that right. Zygarde? Were they really talking about that Pokémon? How did he tie to them being in Alola?

 **AT: Isn't it a legendary pokémon from the Kalos region?**

 _S: Bingo! During quite some time, the professor suspected that more than one specimen existed._

 _D: Yes, the legends always mentioned how Zygarde had some sort of hidden potential, but there are no records of such thing on the region's recent story. So after a long investigation, we found evidence that there are several beings related to Zygarde that inhabit the Alola region. This, of course, must mean this Pokémon exists here too._

 **AT: Beings?**

 _S: We call them Cells and Cores to be more exact, we believe that by gathering a certain number of these creatures something unheard of could happen. That's why we are here, to investigate to which degree that's true._

 _D: Although some he-_

And suddenly, Édith yanked the magazine from Juliette's hands. "Grandma, I wanted to finish reading it!"

"Trust me, you have already read enough by now." Strangely, the grin on her face was even bigger than before. That usually means Édith is onto something big. "When the time comes, you'll know what I mean."

"And when will that be?"

"Who knows? That could happen at any time, just wait and see!" Édith winked as she got up from the bed. Then she walked towards the door, but not without playing first a little prank she had played on Juliette for years. It consisted on her pretending to leave the room only to open the door again, this could go on for almost a minute.

When her granny left, Juliette finally got to lie on her new and extremely comfortable bed. She would definitely sleep like a baby that night! Well, that if the things she read on that magazine allowed her to. Suddenly, it turned out the dream was still alive. A few lines on a paper sheet to announce that some things will never change and that, after all, impossible is nothing. But she didn't want to get too excited, that Pokémon was still something out of her reach. Now Juliette had to wait for her grandma to tell her about the things she apparently didn't want her to know yet… And she hoped it would be soon.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Doom or destiny**

The sound of the alarm going off woke up Juliette. The first rays of sun illuminated her brand new bedroom; the one where she had slept in for the past two days. In a matter of minutes, an orangish hue caused by the sunlight took over the room. It was just seven a.m., but the King Star was already out and prompting the people in town to wake up. That's one of the many things that surprised Juliette and her family during their first two days in Alola; unlike in Anistar City, the inhabitants of Paniola Town woke up very, very early. The previous day Mainard got startled by a man screaming outside early in the morning. It turned out he was just a farmer guiding a herd of Mareep.

With a quick movement, Juliette turned off the alarm and left her bed. As much as she loved being in bed, she had no trouble waking up so early. She was used to it after all. Going to school always required her to wake up around 7:30 a.m. At least in Kalos, because she still didn't know how school would work in Alola. She was free from the suffering of going to school until next week, mostly because they were all still busy with the move. Some boxes were still closed and things still needed to be organized. As far as she was concerned, Juliette was pretty much done.

Getting dressed didn't take her too long. Juliette never was the kind of girl who worried too much about fashion and how she dressed. The only two items of clothing she cared about were the Zygarde themed cap and shoes her father gifted her on her 13th birthday. She wore them every day, rain or shine. Besides that, Juliette put on a simple white shirt with ruffles on the neckline and a pair of jean shorts. After fixing her bedhead, she was ready to go downstairs. Juliette knew that she wouldn't have much to do today anyways, besides watching the television or playing with her Pokémon.

For better or for worse, Juliette was entirely wrong about that. She absentmindedly descended the stairs while thinking about how her freedom would soon be over and that she would be in the same situation as she was in Kalos. Her mind would have been occupied for a longer time by these thoughts that appeared like a summer storm if it wasn't because a certain someone was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.

"I knew you would be up already!"

"Grandma!" The girl exclaimed with a smile. "I see you decided to get up too. Didn't you say you would be up a bit later?"

"Yes, but I changed my mind." Édith had one of her famous smiles on her face. "You see, we've been here for a couple of days already and, while I understand that a house move takes time, I think we should go see what this place has to offer!"

Juliette wasn't sure how to take that. Her grandmother wanted to go out so early in the morning?

"What are you hiding?" she asked jokingly.

"Nothing, I swear!" Édith averted her gaze from Juliette's thoughtful stare.

"Does it have to do with the Sina and Dexio interview from the other day?" Juliette asked with a questionable tone.

"Sorry to disappoint you but no, it doesn't." The woman maintained her cheery expression.

"Well, what is it then?"

"In one of the touristic leaflets I got in the port, they talked about a place called Sunrise Café that's right there in this town! Plus, according to the reviews on TourGuide, the food is really nice so I thought that maybe we should have breakfast there."

"Sounds great! But…" Juliette looked around the room. "What about Mom and Dad?"

Édith made a gesture with her hand. "Oh, you already know your dad! He won't wake up until ten or so. As for your mom, she'll probably eat something while at work so don't worry!"

Our protagonist never doubted her grandmother, so she thought that it would be worth a shot. The only bad thing was that they would undoubtedly come across people both in the street and in the café itself. Since they were in Paniola Town, the few times Juliette went outside people would stare at her with an inquisitive look, presumably guessing that she was an outsider. Luckily for her, the peak of her cap kept them from seeing her entire face. Sometimes she felt that she was too exaggerated trying to hide from people like that, but she couldn't help it.

As soon as Édith got the house keys, the two of them were already on the street and under the Alolan sun. The peculiar smell of the town hit them like a Double Slap, but that was nothing they wouldn't get used to! The whole place was very lively for 7:15 a.m.; lots of farmers and breeders were talking to each other, little kids and their Pokémon playfully ran around the place, and the sound of pushing wheelbarrows could be heard. That made Juliette get an idea. She opened her bag― which she quickly fetched from her bedroom while Édith looked for the keys― and let her two Pokémon out of their Poké Balls.

"This is Paniola Town! What do you guys think?" Juliette smiled at Halbert and Poppy.

The Frogadier and Bulbasaur left out happy little cries and jumped around. Suddenly, they were joined by a small dog Pokémon. "I believe that's a Rockruff!" Édith said, intrigued by the unfamiliar Pokémon. She amused by the scene.

"Yes, it is!" Juliette recalled reading an article about the Pokémon on the internet. She educated herself about some of the Pokémon native to Alola shortly before the move.

After the three Pokémon played for a bit, Halbert and Poppy went back to following their Trainer and her grandmother. "The café is not too far from here. Maybe we can take a small stroll on the way there," Édith suggested after greeting a random passerby.

"Eh, I'd prefer going there directly." Juliette avoided looking at people; she still didn't feel like talking to strangers.

Her grandmother laughed. "Come on Julie, don't be like this! You can't hide in your shell forever."

Halbert and Poppy made a loud vocalization in agreement with the elder. Juliette had no problem admitting they were right. Deep down she thought that too. But it was easier said than done. How would she do that, especially now that she was in a brand new place where she knew no one besides her family? Well, her family and that guy who lives in front of her. She already saw him a few times from her bedroom, but she was careful so that he would not be able to spot her. It wasn't like Juliette was spying on him, but she just didn't want to give any explanations.

For her part, Édith had no trouble approaching people. She greeted almost everyone she saw with an energetic "Alola!", accompanied by the famous rainbow shaped gesture. People greeted her back with the same level of enthusiasm and in some cases even more, especially in the case of young children. Foul smells aside, walking around the town proved to be very entertaining, even for Juliette. She was distracting herself taking a good look at the landscape around her, imagining what it would be like if they were in the Wild West era. However, things would most likely not be much different.

"Hey, Juliette!" Her grandmother's voice made her snap out of her thoughts. They were standing in front of a middle aged woman. "This is my granddaughter, Juliette. We came from Kalos only a couple of days ago."

"I see! I knew you two weren't familiar. Welcome to Alola!" The woman addressed Juliette with her greeting. Édith looked at her granddaughter as if she was anxiously waiting for her to say hello back. A tumbleweed rolled by right beside Juliette like an unexpected guest.

"...Alola!" The girl finally managed to respond, rainbow gesture included. Édith smiled proudly as the other woman returned the gesture.

After they parted, Édith placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "See? It's not that hard! Soon you'll begin to realize that people in Alola are very different compared to the ones in Kalos. Almost everybody agrees that Alolans are really warm and welcoming."

"I guess _almost everybody_ can't be wrong then!" After realizing that what she said sounded like something straight out of a commercial, Juliette left out a hearty laugh.

The little group walked around the town for a bit more until they finally came across their destination, Sunrise Café. Besides being a little wider, the building didn't really stand out from the rest of constructions in the town. A wooden sign with a sunrise and the name of the café painted on it swung around obnoxiously on a pole that stood in front of the building. Édith opened the door swiftly, which made a bell that was placed right above it ring noisily. Juliette was startled by the sudden ringing sound.

 _Don't be ridiculous, Juliette. It was just a bell._

The interior of the building was unsurprisingly rustic looking. The ambience in the building was very cozy. Country music played at a low volume on a radio placed in the bar as people talked to each other, minding their own business. Nobody really seemed to notice the newcomers and that was a relief for Juliette. Besides the humans, there were quite a few Pokémon too.

"This is a Pokémon friendly café. Isn't that great? You did well letting Halbert and Poppy out!"

"I noticed. There were quite a few of these in Kalos too…" Juliette didn't care to hide the nostalgia in her voice. There is a sign in the front of the café that said "Feel free to sit yourselves! We'll be there for you momentarily!" Following the sign's orders, Juliette and her grandmother were able to sit themselves at a table by a window.

Édith smiled. She felt the same way as Juliette, after all. "Then we can comfortably say that there's a bit of Kalos in Alola."

"Yes, in more ways than one." Juliette was yet again referring to the interview her grandmother had shown her earlier. Thinking of the interview, Juliette decided to bring up the subject. "By the way, when will you tell me more about the Zygarde thing? It's been two days already."

"Hehehe... You really are eager, aren't you? Zygarde means a lot to you and I'm aware of that." Édith smiled again. "Just to give you some relief, I'll tell you this: You'll learn more about it after you spend some time at the new school, _d'accord_?"

Silence is golden and an image is worth a thousand words. Juliette's expression said everything she thought about her grandmother's "deal." But she didn't insist, she was never the kind of individual who tries to contradict an older person. " _D'accord_."

Shortly after that exchange, the waitress appeared. She was a young, slender girl in her older teens, a little above Juliette's age. She wore a simple white shirt with a black bow around her neck, black dress pants, and black flats. "Alola! Welcome to Sunrise Café. My name is Luana and I will be your waitress for today."

"Alola!" The two females greeted her, as well as Juliette's Pokémon. The aforementioned was still trying to get used to greeting people like that.

Luana smiled at them. "I don't recognize your faces. Are you two new from around here? Tourists?"

Juliette looked at her grandmother trying to convince her to be the one to speak, but the playful little kick the older woman gave Juliette under the table left her know that it wouldn't happen. "Yes…and no. We've only been there for a couple of days. We just moved here."

"Oh, wow! Welcome to Paniola Town! Where did you all come from?"

Juliette briefly averted her gaze from the girl, as if to collect her thoughts. "Kalos."

Despite Juliette's unintentional dryness, Luana kept her cheerful tone. "Really? I was born there!"

"Really?" That suddenly piqued Juliette's interest. "We are from Anistar City. You?"

"I was from and born in Lumiose City!" The waitress's bright smile was contagious. "I have seen Anistar City a couple of times. I loved the sundial!"

"Yes, that was my favorite place too. That and Terminus Cave, it wasn't too far from there."

Luana nodded slightly, her smile unmoving. Then she shifted her attention to Halbert and Poppy. "I'm guessing you got your Pokémon back in Kalos, right?" she said as she pointed a black pen at them.

"Yes. The Frogadier is named Halbert and Poppy is the Bulbasaur." She didn't know why, but Juliette suddenly felt a little at ease by talking with the young girl she had just met.

"I see. They're adorable!" As Luana stared at Halbert closely, she frowned. "How did Halbert get that scar on his face?" Juliette frowned.

"It's from the battle where he evolved. A classmate's Garchomp did it to him."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But he still looks like a strong boy!" Luana patted Halbert's head, a gesture he seemed to enjoy. "You know, my grandfather has a Greninja. Isn't it a big coincidence?"

"It is, indeed." Juliette said with a tiny smile.

Suddenly, the waitress facepalmed. "Whew, we were talking so much that I totally blanked out! I almost forgot you were there to eat!" Luana laughed. "What would you like to drink?"

Édith took the floor this time. "Just a glass of water for me, thanks."

"And a soda for me, if that's possible."

"Sure thing!" Luana started writing down the orders. "And the Pokémon?"

"Is there something special you'd recommend?" Édith asked excitedly.

"Actually, yes! We have Moo Moo Milk straight from the town's ranch and let me tell you, _everyone_ seems to like it!"

Édith turned to look at her granddaughter. "They are your Pokémon, what do you say?"

"Sounds good! Moo Moo Milk for them, then." The teen nodded approvingly.

"Alright! I'll be back with everyone's drinks in a bit." Luana smiled again before walking towards the bar.

A light silence fell. Édith looked at her granddaughter with a big smile, her eyes were sparkling. "See? It's not that hard!"

" _Wow,_ you're acting like it's such a big deal!" Juliette joked.

The older woman covered her mouth with one hand and giggled. "Well, it is! I hope to see you approach more people from now on."

"Technically I didn't approach her, she approached us. It's her job!"

"Come on, you already know what I mean!"

Before they had time to continue the subject, Luana came back with their orders. Halbert and Poppy started gulping down the Moo Moo Milk right away while the humans talked about what they wanted to eat. The waitress recommended them a mango pie, which was her favorite of the menu according to her own words. After Juliette and her grandmother settled for the aforementioned pie, as well as order another mango pie for Juliette's Pokémon, the waitress left with the promise of coming back in a little bit.

Someone turned up the volume of the country music playing on the radio. Now it was loud enough to where a normal conversation would be slightly difficult. Two older men dressed as cowboys danced together in front of the bar, and people clapped along with the music and their dance. Most of the people's conversations could not be overheard now. Édith and Juliette didn't really pay attention to them; they were too focused on their own little trivial conversations as well as sipping their own drinks, and discreetly observing the other Pokémon in the café. While many Pokémon preferred to stay close to their Trainers, like Halbert and Poppy, others freely ran around the establishment and nobody seemed to mind. A few Rockruff ran around the café. A closeby Alolan Meowth, who was observing the Rockruff, hissed when the dog Pokémon got too close to it. This reminded Juliette of how in Kalos, while Pokémon friendly cafés were a thing, there were some places where the presence of the creatures was frowned upon. High-class restaurants were the major offenders. After around ten minutes, Luana was back with everybody's share mango pie.

"Sorry about the music! This tends to happen a lot, but the people around here enjoy these kind of things," Luana hollered, yet maintaining her cheery demeanor. She had to raise her voice very high to be overheard. "I hope you enjoy the pie. When you're finished, come see me by the bar. You can pay upfront and be on your way!"

"How kind of you!" Édith exclaimed. "An old woman like me has no time to waste… Just kidding!"

Luana giggled at Édith's humorous remark, while her granddaughter gave her a bewildered look. When the waitress left, they started eating.

"This is really good!" Juliette marveled after taking a bite.

"Isn't it? No wonder she recommended it." Édith took another bite of the pie. "We should definitely come here often." She glanced at Halbert and Poppy, who were marveling at their slices of pie and scarfing it down as if they haven't eaten in ages.

"I… I agree," Juliette agreed with her grandmother. If it was for the food, Juliette didn't mind the idea of coming to Sunrise Café often and as far as she saw, the service seemed to be really nice. Besides, her Pokémon were showing their approval of the place and if her Pokémon liked it, then she would do her best to bring them here as often as possible.

As she ate her succulent breakfast, Édith was discreetly observing Juliette's attitude. The girl looked pretty content for an introvert in a place full of strangers, but perhaps it was because she was too focused on her food to think about that. But for better or for worse, the girl's peace was about to be interrupted. Her grandmother noticed out of the corner of her eye a boy that sat a few tables away from them. He appeared to be around the same age or slightly older than Juliette. The elder already knew what she would be doing next. It was em _fait accompli._ /em

"Hey, see that boy sitting over there?" Édith pointed in the boy's direction. "Isn't he cute?"

Juliette stalled for a few seconds before looking at the young man her grandmother was referring to. When she glimpsed at the boy, she almost choked on the bite of pie she just ate.

It was him. The guy she had been seeing from her window. Getting to see him in the flesh at last— and not behind the glass— felt weird to say the least. After discreetly gazing at him for a couple of seconds, Juliette turned to address her grandmother. "Well… I guess. What's your point?"

Édith laughed noisily at her granddaughter's comments, which made Juliette sink down on the table in embarrassment. Her face started to flush. _Does she want to be heard by everyone or what?_

"Why don't you go and say hello? It won't hurt, you know."

The girl sighed and took a quick look at her Pokémon, who were still devouring their respective slices of pie. All she could think of was that her grandmother was yet again pushing her to approach someone she didn't know. She knew her grandmother did it with the best of intentions in mind, but it still made her feel a bit uncomfortable. On top of that, Juliette felt intimidated by the idea of walking towards the boy and introducing herself, even if that was all she had to do. She had always relied on someone else to do it for her in the past, but this time that wouldn't happen.

Or maybe it would.

Before she could react, Juliette saw her grandmother get up from her chair and walk towards the guy. For a split second, she contemplated the option of hiding under the table, which would have been a comical yet vacuous move. She resigned to wait and see what her grandmother had in mind as she partially covered her face with one hand.

"Hey!" Édith approached the boy with the familiar Alolan gesture. The boy sitting at the table returned the gesture.

"Alola!" he answered with a friendly tone. Hearing the boy's warm voice increased Juliette's need to hide under the table, but she resisted.

"I just moved here a few days ago with my family!" Édith was not wasting her time. "Today I decided to check out the town and I brought my granddaughter with me." She turned around to look at Juliette with a smile. A smile that didn't go away, even when she saw the girl practically hiding her whole face behind her hands.

Even if she didn't want to, Juliette knew that she had no choice but to approach the boy and her grandmother. _"You are a making a mountain out of a Drilbur hill, you stupid girl!"_ She scolded herself as she finally mustered enough courage to leave the chair. Although it was very hard for her to do so. She did her best to hold her head high while she walked towards them.

Once she was right next to Édith and in front of em _that guy_ ,/em Juliette didn't know how to proceed. Especially now that she was able to take a closer look at her neighbor. She found herself irremediably attracted to his brown eyes. He observed her, as if he was expecting her to at least say em _something_./em Juliette didn't realize that she was standing there like a scared Gogoat until her grandmother gently nudged her. Like someone turning on a switch, Juliette finally became full aware of her surroundings and deigned to go back to the real world.

"Alola!" she said without hesitation, gesture and all. _See? It wasn't that bad...was it?_

"Alola!" Her neighbor greeted back. "Your grandmother told me that you moved here recently. Where are you from?"

"We are from Kalos and, uh, we came here only a couple of days ago." Juliette didn't care that her grandmother had already said that in one way or another. She just didn't know what to say or do.

"Kalos? I have a friend from there as well!" His smile made the girl want to lower her guard. What was with Alolan people and their attitudes that almost made her feel at ease?

"What a coincidence! We have been talking to someone who also comes from Kalos. Right?" Juliette's question was directed to Édith, but she refused to say anything. Instead, she just nodded and smiled on.

"Being able to stay close to your roots in somewhat way is always nice." Juliette was stunned. That sounded incredibly mature for a boy his age. Back in Kalos, her male classmates still laughed at scatological jokes. "By the way, the name's Kiawe."

"I'm Juliette… Nice to meet you." She tried to contain her smile, but the action caused her face to twist into a strange expression. Knowing that she most likely made a weird face towards the boy, she let the smile go.

"And I'm Édith, her grandmother. But you already knew that!" Édith said with a small giggle.

The introvert within Juliette was raging. The silence that emitted between the three was too much for Juliette. "We should keep having our breakfast, right grandmother?" she spoke out loud.

The older woman emitted a small groan of exasperation. "It's not like anyone will eat it while we are away or anything!"

However, she wasn't completely right. Halbert and Poppy had already finished their servings were now hungrily staring at the rest of the mango pie on Juliette and Édith's dishes, which both had a little less than half remaining.

Juliette shrugged slightly, showing her palms. "I really think we should go back before they eat it all!"

"Okay, I grant you that. I don't want anyone to deprive me of finishing off that delicious pie!" Édith turned her attention to Kiawe. "I guess we'll be seeing each other around. It was nice meeting you!"

"Yes, that would be nice indeed. It was a pleasure meeting you both as well."

"Yeah...right." The words came out of Juliette's mouth sporadically. "Oh Halbert, don't do that! Now we really must go. Goodbye!"

Halbert was confused since he wasn't doing anything that could earn him a scold, besides staring at the lonely pie slices on the table. Édith was just as puzzled and she manifested it as soon as she and her flustered granddaughter sat down at their table.

"Why did you act so weird?" Édith asked with an amused laugh and in a quiet tone.

"Because I don't know him at all?" Juliette said, looking away from her grandmother's stare.

"Well you didn't know the waitress either, but you seemed pretty chill to me! Tell me, is it because of how cute he looks? I swear, if I was younger..."

" _No!_ " Juliette was quick to interrupt her grandmother's statement, red as a Tamato Berry while doing so. "Okay, _maybe_ it was partially because of that. But it's also because he is our neighbor."

"Oh, really? And how do you know that?"

"I… I have seen him from my window a few times already," she said hesitantly.

Édith smirked. "Well, then that means you two could become friends eventually." She relaxed her smile a bit. "You see, you know that I'm doing this for the best of you. I made you talk to so many people today because I want you to trust someone besides your family."

Édith didn't need to explain her reasoning. Juliette knew very well what her grandmother's intent was and she was immensely grateful for it. She was just a bit hesitant to open up to others, is all. Deep down she also knew that if she didn't approach anyone she would never make friends. Not reliable ones, at least. "There's a time and place for everything."

"Yes, but you should make an effort on your part too!" Having said this, Édith went back to eating her breakfast.

Juliette did the same after answering her grandmother with a smile and a nod, thinking about how she already made a big effort by addressing a handful of strangers. First in the streets and then in the café itself. It was true that people in Alola seemed different from Kalosian folks, but Juliette felt that it is just a charade.

The two finished the rest of their breakfast. However, this did not happen in complete silence. With Édith around, silence was an impossible feat. This was a good thing to Juliette either way, for that she cannot tolerate awkward silences.

As Luana informed them earlier, Édith and Juliette got up from their table and and approached the bar, followed by Juliette's Pokémon in pursuit. The waitress had recently delivered an order to an old man sitting close to the bar. His Pokémon, a mellow Midday Forme Lycanroc, sat across his lap taking a nap. Luana turned on her heel and spotted the two approaching her. She greeted them as they neared. "How was the pie? Great, right?"

"Indeed! I would ask for another piece if we had more money for it!" Édith rubbed her belly as she spoke.

Despite Juliette's antisocial demeanour, she had something to say about the meal. "I really liked it, too. My Pokémon enjoyed it as well." The girl picked up her Bulbasaur and snuggled the Pokémon close. Luana hesitantly patted the Pokémon on the head, a gesture that Poppy enjoyed.

"Hehe, I'm glad you all had a good time there. Are you going to foot the bill already?"

"Yes! How much is it?" Édith asked as she got her wallet ready.

"Let me see…" Luana calculated the price on a small cash register. A wooden figure of a Rockruff stood on top of it. "Alright! That will be 3,350 pokédollars," she said with a wide smile.

"Oh darn, I only have small change! This will take a little while." The elderly woman laughed under her nose, rummaging through her purse. After nearly a minute, she managed to gather the appropriate amount.

"Thank you very much! I hope you and your Pokémon have a nice day—"

"Same to you!" Juliette and Édith answered, not letting Luana finish.

"...and I hope to see you around!" She was addressing to the both of them, but Luana stopped to look at Juliette while maintaining her smile.

 _Socialize with the same people over again and risk being weird or saying wrong in front of them? Yeah no, I don't like that idea._ Despite the inner turmoil, Juliette managed to reply back. "Uh… Sure!"

Just when Juliette thought the social interactions were finally over, more surprises await. She spotted Kiawe out of the corner of her eye, waving goodbye to them. The boy noticed that they were leaving. Juliette shyly waved back, while her grandmother waved energetically. As the two left the café, they briefly spotted Luana approaching Kiawe with a pen and paper as well as a very wide smile across her face; asking him what would he like to order. Finally being away from all social interactions, Juliette let out a big sigh of relief.

Now that she had a good taste of how Alolan people behaved, Juliette wanted to believe that things em _might_ /em go well at the new school. That was a thought that she could not stop thinking about. Days were going by quickly and the time to go back to school was getting closer. She dreads that day because she fears that things would and will go wrong, just like before. It didn't matter that her family tried to reassure her; she still worried.

 _Maybe there will be some positive surprises there… I have to believe that. It's my small glimmer of hope. My hope for change is the last thing I want to lose._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: To live the present**

 _"Ah, freedom. No one really appreciates it until they lose it."_

Juliette was spending her second Sunday in Alola locked in her room. All she wanted to do was be alone; left in a never ending loop of negative thoughts. _"What if they say this or that? What if they do x or y to me?"_ That is just a small sample of the destructive hypothesis in her mind. Her first day of school in Alola was all she could think about. Even her mother, who's normally too busy with her job, noticed Juliette's taciturn attitude before leaving for the Pokémon Center.

Sitting on her bed with a sketchbook placed in her lap, Juliette was occupied with drawing a building that was supposedly a school, only that a sign reading "Jail" stood on the roof. She was never too good at drawing buildings, but at that moment she couldn't care less. Poppy laid next to her, taking a curious glance at her trainer's work every now and then. She also tapped on her leg from time to time in order to get her attention, mostly because she was worried about Juliette's distant demeanor. The pokémon decided to do said gesture, seeing how the drawing was seemingly almost finished. Juliette put her pencil down for a moment.

"Do you want something? Are you hungry?" Poppy shook her head in response. Juliette sighed, trying to guess what her pokémon really wanted. "You want to play, don't you? Don't worry, I promise that as soon as I'm done with this, we will go out for a bit."

The truth is that Juliette didn't feel like going outside. If she was already iffy about it under normal conditions, this day she was especially hesitant. However she may be, she is willing to do anything to make her Pokémon happy. _Maybe Halbert would like to go out too._

It was no wonder that her Pokémon wanted to have some fun. The family— except for Rachel, who was at work for the most part— spent the week organizing the remaining stuff from their move. A majority of their belongings they left in Kalos have arrived already. Only a few packages have yet to come, but as of now, the family can finally say they have officially settled down in Paniola Town. Since they were all so busy and wanted to get all of it out of the way, it meant that they barely had time for anything else. However, Édith managed to sneak out a couple of times. She would go to Sunrise Café and get something to take away for herself and the rest of the family. Besides that, she always told Juliette that Luana sent her greetings.

Surprisingly enough, sometimes Juliette found herself wondering how the waitress was doing. They haven't seen each other ever since her grandmother took her to the café. The same applied to her neighbor Kiawe. As of now they would greet each other if they happened to make eye contact from their respective bedrooms, but it never went beyond that. Juliette always avoided starting a conversation, using her chores involving the move as an excuse. But that was about to change.

As she made finishing touches to her drawing, Juliette noticed a ruckus from outside her window. There was a very animated conversation going on between several people and after paying attention for a bit, she could recognize her father's voice. Juliette suddenly felt like putting down her sketchbook and looking out the window. After pondering about it for a little bit, she decided to check on what her father was up to. The drawing could wait; it was pretty much finished either way.

Upon opening the window, she saw her father in front of the door of the neighbor's house, talking to who she assumed to be Kiawe's parents. A little girl stood close to them, so Juliette assumed she was their young daughter. Another couple talked alongside them, but Juliette could barely identify who they were from where she was. They were talking about Pokémon.

"Some of your pokémon feed on mud?!" Mainard sounded both shocked and amazed.

"Yes, they do!" The woman of the house answered. "Our Mudbray feed mostly on the mud and the grass of the ranch. Thanks to that, they grow up strong and healthy."

"I knew Pokémon in farms fed on grass and hay, but I never imagined they would eat mud too." Still astonished, Mainard laughed under his nose.

"Mudbray's daily routine doesn't only include eating mud, it also loves to play in it!" The little girl exclaimed cheerfully as she jumped around.

All of sudden, Juliette realized she was carefully following the conversation. It was the first time throughout the day that her mind was occupied on something else besides her first day of school...and she liked that. She liked it until the group of people noticed her presence. She didn't have any time to close the window.

"Hey!" Mainard smiled upon seeing his daughter. "Juliette, why don't you come over and say hello? They're very nice people."

 _"And there it goes_. _My voluntary loneliness is over."_ The teen told herself. She didn't want to seem unfriendly by refusing to go outside, but she still didn't feel like doing so. _Especially_ if it means that she'll be facing a group of unknown people, even though her father is there. Unlike Édith, Mainard didn't push his daughter too much when it comes to socializing with others, but he still encouraged her to do it. "Alright, I'll be there in less than a minute!" With a sigh, Juliette closed her sketchbook and put it away. She also grabbed Halbert's pokéball and gestured for Poppy to follow her. "You guys are in luck, we're going outside!"

She took her time walking downstairs. Poppy and Halbert— who popped out of the pokéball on his own— were way more eager than their Trainer to go out. Coincidentally, they weren't the only ones willing to join Juliette.

"Oh, where are you guys going?" Édith appeared next to her granddaughter out of the blue, scaring the girl.

"Dad is talking to some people outside and he told me to go say hello, so I left what I was doing." Juliette stopped before opening the house's door, not wanting the neighbors to overhear her and her grandmother's conversation by any chance.

"So you had to interrupt your confinement. Got it!" After pronouncing these words, the old woman opened the door herself, which earned her a stern look from her granddaughter.

"I'm really stressed out about tomorrow, and I think that talking to people I don't know won't help. I'll have plenty of time to do that tomorrow!" Juliette vented to her grandmother, then sighed harshly.

"But Juliette, it's not the same. I'm sure the people your father is talking to are really nice!"

"Well, that's what he said…and he never lies." Deep down Juliette hoped that talking to these people would help her relax. Watching her father talk to them made her briefly forget about the school dilemma. _Maybe joining the conversation would have an effect on me…_

Whether she wanted to or not, however, Juliette was about to find out.

"Look, there she is! And it looks like my mother decided to come too." Mainard tried to introduce his mother and daughter, but the former were eager to do the honors.

"Alola! My name is Édith; Mainard's mother. This one here is my granddaughter, Juliette." The woman winked at her granddaughter.

"Alola, nice to meet you!" One of the women spoke. "I'm Sima and this is my husband, Rango."

"And I'm Mimo, I'm very happy to meet you all!" The little girl cheered.

"My name is Makoa, it's a pleasure to meet you," the male stranger said. The man was tall and average sized. He had peach skin and dark brown hair tied in a ponytail with sharp eyebrows and slight stubble. He was adorned in a green shirt, brown vest, brown shorts that reached his knees, a bolo tie, and brown sandals. The man's dark brown eyes shone in the sunlight.

"I'm Nohea, Makoa's wife. It's always nice to meet new people!" The woman next to Makoa said with a kind smile across her face. She was much paler than her husband. She has dark green hair that's braided and over her left shoulder. The woman wore a short sleeved, pale green dress with white frills, patterns, and puffed out sleeves. The dress reached her knees. She also wore brown boots and a pearl necklace.

 _"Depends on the circumstances,"_ Juliette said to herself.

Rango looked around. "Luana and my son should be here in a bit. He said that they would be done with the chores soon."

 _"Wait, Luana knows Kiawe?"_ For some reason Juliette felt that if she said that out loud, then she would have sounded scandalized. Luckily she knew that she had no reason to feel that way.

Juliette intended to change the subject in her mind, but the furtive look Édith gave her didn't help. "It's amazing how hard working young people are, right?" The woman addressed Kiawe's father.

"Absolutely! He helps us out a lot. We are so proud of him. Luana is a great help too. She is always eager to lend a hand."

Nohea nodded contently. "Yes, my niece is really good at helping others. I'm glad my husband and I can count on her working in the café."

"Ah!" Juliette spoke out loud. "You're referring to the Sunrise Café, right? My Grandmother and I went there the other day!"

"Yes! Then you already know our niece." Nohea smiled again. Her attitude was slightly reminiscent of Luana's.

"Whose Pokémon are those?" Mimo asked after Halbert and Poppy approached her, observing the little girl with curiosity.

"They're mine." Juliette soon corrected herself after realizing she sounded too blunt. Being too blunt was something she didn't like about herself. Trying to crack a smile, she went for a more cheerful tone. "I-I mean, they're my Pokémon! Do you like them?"

"Yes! They're so cute." The little girl was now happily playing with the two Pokémon.

"Mimo, don't take Juliette's Pokémon too far away!" Rango shouted as he watched his daughter depart with her new friends.

"Don't you worry, Dad! We'll be fine!" Mimo parted further away from the group alongside Halbert and Poppy to play in a small pile of hay.

Juliette wasn't used to hearing a person outside of her inner circle utter her name with so much familiarity. It was an strange sensation for her; normally when someone outside of her family called her by her name it was a teacher. As for people her age, they normally addressed her as Ronson, or a dreaded term, "Freak." Unfortunately these dark thoughts triggered her mindset again, proving to Juliette that she is still not mentally prepared for the following day. In attempt to rid of these thoughts, Juliette decided to focus on her surroundings instead.

At the current time, the sun was descending from the sky, progressively bathing the the town in an orangish light. This sight reminded Juliette of Anistar City and it's famous sundial. Every day around 8 PM, when the very last rays of sun shone through the hole in the crystal, the rings of the sundial started to spin one by one. That's not all; sometimes a small rain of sparkles fall from the sky across the whole city, with the appearance of shiny snow. Juliette would spend minutes watching them fall through her window. That was just one of the things she missed from the city she was raised in, but sunsets in Paniola Town were nice in her eyes too.

"Juliette!" Her father's voice made her return to reality. As always, she was daydreaming at the least opportune moment.

"Look who's here!" Édith added cheerfully.

Luana and Kiawe made their way towards the group. The newcomers made her feel strange; It was almost as if she was happy to see them. The two were finally done with their chores.

"How is everyone doing?" Luana greeted with the same cheery attitude Juliette remembered.

"Hey!" Mimo was back again, closely followed by Halbert and Poppy. "We were waiting for you guys!"

"Well the wait is over!" she beamed excitedly. Luana noticed the two Pokémon next to the little girl. When she turned around and saw their Trainer, an even bigger smile appeared on her face. "Hey Juliette, it's been awhile!"

 _"But it's barely been a week…"_ Dumbfounded by the other girl's effusivity, Juliette just smiled.

"Whenever your grandmother came to the café, she said hello for you. How have you been?" Like a Venomoth to a lantern, the charismatic Luana brought her into a conversation.

"I've been fine, I guess. We spent the week working on the move and trying to get everything done." In an attempt to be less succinct, Juliette added another subject. "And tomorrow is my first day of school here, in Alola."

"Really? That sounds cool!" Little did Luana know that her colloquist couldn't agree less. "Which school are you going to?"

"The one in Heahea City."

"Ah, the Akala Trainer Academy? You're going to love it!" Luana accompanied her enthused remark with a pat on Juliette's shoulder, a gesture that the latter thought about escaping from.

"Yeah, sure…" She mumbled under her breath. However, she felt a bit better shortly after spotting Halbert and Poppy by her side again, now that Mimo was talking to her older brother.

A part of Juliette wanted to say something to Kiawe, but the other told her to wait until he approached her. There's this mentality ingrained in her mind that told her to avoid being the one to start conversations with people outside of the family or else she would be a bother. _"When will I allow this self-punishment to end?"_ She was the only one standing around by herself; the rest of the group were talking amongst each other. Édith was about to approach her granddaughter to speak with her until Rango raised his voice.

"I have an idea! How about we all have dinner together?"

"That's a great idea, Rango!" Sima said. "Let's have a 'welcome to the neighborhood' dinner at our place. There'd be plenty of food for everyone!"

"Really? You'd invite us so willing?" Mainard was enthused by the idea of eating food straight from a farm and he didn't want to miss the chance.

Sima nodded and smiled. "But of course!"

"Great!"

 _"Great, indeed."_ Juliette was afraid that this improvised reunion would make her have to go to bed later than she intended.

"This will be fun, won't it?" Once again, her grandmother was there trying her best to cheer her up.

As Édith spoke to her granddaughter, Sima invited everyone into their house. They have spent a long time standing around outside, so getting to sit down somewhere before dinner would be nice for everyone.

"I guess it will be. However, tomorrow I have a lot of things to do and I should get to bed early." Juliette walked along with her grandmother. Halbert and Poppy followed them closely.

"No need to worry, I doubt we'd be there for many hours. On the plus side, this could help you loosen up, don't you think?" Before her granddaughter could give her a predictable answer, Édith continued. "I know you don't feel too comfortable around people you barely know, but your father and I are there and so are your Pokémon."

Juliette sat down on a lone wooden chair, looking up at her grandmother. "You're right. You're always here to me. I just wish Mom would be here too…" Her voice carried a hint of sadness.

"Yeah, me too. She would definitely like this place, but what can we do?" Édith took a look through the window at the seemingly endless fields located behind the farm where a group of Mudsdale galloped together. She called her granddaughter so she could take a look at the impressive scene too.

"Look at them… They definitely have zero worries," Juliette said without taking her eyes off of the herd. "Why can't we all be like these Pokémon?"

"Because if we had nothing to worry about, life would be boring! One day you will understand." Édith wasn't surprised by the confused look her granddaughter gave her after her statement.

"What's with you and making me wait to discover things lately?"

Édith laughed. "You're still young and you have plenty of time to discover these things and many others by yourself, trust me."

 _"She's right."_ Juliette told herself as she returned to the wooden chair. She was only a fifteen year old girl who has yet to discover much of the world with its lights and shadows. Although in her eyes, there was always more shadows than light. While she immersed in her own thoughts again, she saw her grandmother leave after being beckoned by her son. Juliette was all alone in the living room of a house that wasn't hers. Sitting in the living room of her new house was still a foreign feeling to her, so being in a stranger's house was just plain uncomfortable. However much she didn't prefer the idea, Juliette decided to wander outside. She invited her two Pokémon to follow her as she ventured out of the neighbor's house.

The sun had sunk even further into the sky, covering the land in a mesmerizing purple tint. _"This last sunset before classes start sure is beautiful."_ When the thought crossed her mind, Juliette huffed in annoyance. Annoyance towards herself, because she was unable to just relax and calm down. Sometimes she felt that she was betraying her parents and her grandmother, who spent the last days reassuring her that everything would go well in the new school. Juliette would try to put on a smile every time they mentioned the topic, but at the same time she cannot stop thinking that her family was being too positive. She wanted to believe them one hundred percent, but that proved to be nearly impossible.

After observing the landscape for a little bit, Juliette wandered aimlessly around the farm, closely followed by her Pokémon. The Pokémon's company made her feel a little at ease. Being out in the open with no other people around felt surprisingly better than staying in her room all day long. She hoped that nobody would mind her being outside, for that she isn't bothering anyone.

Unfortunately for Juliette, her voluntary isolation was about to be interrupted again.

"Hey!" A slightly familiar voice made her turn around.

There he was. The one she had meant to talk to. Juliette's mind went immediately blank.

"Uuh, hello…?" Unaccustomed to talk to people without any of her family members around, the girl had a hard time trying to figure out what to say. She mentally scolded herself for being so lost for words.

"I noticed you here all alone, so I came to see if you were okay." Kiawe approached her so the conversation wasn't so awkward and far apart, but it had an opposite effect on Juliette, who took a few steps back.

"Yes! Yes I am! I only wanted to get some fresh air with my Pokémon, that's all," she lied. _"I don't feel good when I'm surrounded by lots people and tomorrow will most likely be a terrible day, so I want to be left alone."_

Kiawe observed her for a couple of seconds. He could tell she was lying, but chose to not say anything about it. "I see. The air in this place is good for everyone." Then he turned his attention to Halbert and Poppy. "You obtained your pokémon back in Kalos, right?"

"Right." Juliette's stark answers striked again.

"That reminds me of when I got my first Pokémon, a Cubone." Kiawe smiled faintly at the memory. "It was a big surprise when it evolved into a Fire type. I've always liked them."

 _"What on Earth is he talking about?"_ Juliette wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. "A Fire type? I thought Cubone and Marowak were Ground types."

"They are, but that changes in this region. Once Cubone evolves, it becomes a Fire and Ghost type." Kiawe was a bit surprised by the puzzled look Juliette gave him. "Tell me, have you heard of regional variations?"

Now Juliette understood what he meant. For a moment she was convinced that Kiawe was messing with her. "No, I didn't!" she stammered. "Back in Kalos it was Mega Evolution this and Mega Evolution that."

Kiawe nodded. "I understand. Mega Evolution is interesting in its own way. Most of my friends own Pokémon capable of mega evolving. In fact, I do too."

"Really? Which one?" Juliette found herself getting sucked into the conversation, to her own surprise.

"A Kangaskhan I've had since about a year ago. A good friend gave me its required Mega Stone and the Key Stone so I can make her mega evolve. Did you know you can use the Z-Ring for that purpose too?"

Juliette blinked in confusion. "Z-Ring? What's that? I've only heard of Mega Rings."

"Ah, forgive me, I forgot that you are not from here. Similar to how a Mega Ring enables a Trainer to trigger Mega Evolution, a Z-Ring would allow you to utilize Z-Moves with your Pokémon. Now, I don't know how to explain how Z-Moves work, but they are very powerful and require a Trainer and their Pokémon to combine both of their wishes."

"That sounds pretty deep," Juliette murmured to herself. "So it's like Mega Evolution in a way, right?"

"Yeah, more or less." Kiawe smiled knowing that Juliette didn't look confused anymore. Then a random thought crossed his mind. "Juliette, since it's your first time here, how about I show you around the farm? There's plenty of time until dinner is ready."

Juliette pondered over the situation quickly. She would be spending more time with her neighbor than she intended. While that may not be a bad thing, but for her it would mean there's more chances to slip up and say something foolish. "Uh… Sure, why not?"

There's no turning back now. "Great! Follow me, I'll show you our garden first. It's small, but it serves its purpose."

Hearing about a garden peaked Juliette's interest. Now that they were walking, Juliette made sure she was close enough to Kiawe so that she could be heard. "Your family has a garden? That's interesting, I always liked plants and flowers."

"That's nice. What are your favorites?"

 _"My favorite what?"_ A slightly awkward silence fell as Juliette tried to figure out what Kiawe meant. Was he asking about her favorite plants, her favorite flowers, or both? She hated not knowing what to say.

"I mean your favorite flowers. Or plants I guess, I don't mind." Kiawe broke the silence, much to his companion's relief.

"Oh! Uh…" Juliette took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Well, I've always liked ferns and small palms, since they're relatively easy to maintain. Also, my favorite flowers are orchids, without a doubt. I like roses as well, even if that sounds predictable."

"There's nothing wrong with that, at least in my opinion." Kiawe answered reassuringly, taking the girl by surprise.

Juliette wasn't used to having her likes and dislikes validated by someone else out of her small circle, namely her family. Her thoughts drifted away again. Back in Kalos, she felt as if every living moment there she was walking on eggshells, because the moment she said something remotely positive about the things she liked, there was always someone willing to drag her opinions through the mud. This occurs mostly with her opinions on Pokémon she has been fascinated with ever since she was a little girl. The other kids would often tell her to stop being a loon and that Zygarde didn't exist as well as other Legendary Pokémon.

"Here we are!" Kiawe's voice made Juliette snap out of it and go back to reality.

 _"You're not in Kalos anymore, Juliette. You're in Alola."_ More specifically, she was in the garden of her neighbor's house, which was much bigger than what she imagined from Kiawe's words. The numerous berry trees, all of them in different stages of growth, were by far the most outstanding plants of the garden.

"Wow, you don't see such a well-kept garden very often!" Juliette's eyes were all around the place, soaking in the sight of the many different plants. It made her feel like a kid in a candy shop. "Can we get closer?"

Kiawe smiled. "You can take a closer look if you wish. You seem very interested."

The duo walked closer to the garden. Juliette could examine the plants much better. Besides the berry trees, several kinds of vegetables like cabbages, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes were growing. There were a few aromatic herbs too, such as oregano and coriander.

"Did you plant something there?" Juliette asked, pointing to an empty patch of soil.

"Yes. The other day my family and I sowed seeds for broccoli, peppers and Lum berries." Kiawe gestured the girl to turn her attention to a different spot. "See those sprouts over there? Soon they will become papayas."

"That's great!" Juliette was mesmerized by the many plants of the garden. "When you told me the garden was small I expected something much more...you know, small."

The girl's words made her neighbor chuckle. "Well, it is small in comparison to others in this area, but we do what we can."

"That's a good thing." Juliette nodded before taking another quick look at the plants. She wondered if they were going to go somewhere else after the garden visit.

"Hey!" A familiar voice chimed in out of the blue. "How's it going?"

The newcomer was Luana. This time she was accompanied by one of her Pokémon, a Midday Lycanroc whose shiny blue fur stood out like a beacon, reflecting the light of the setting sun.

"It's going pretty well," Kiawe answered. "I'm giving Juliette a tour of the farm until dinner is ready."

"Ah, that sounds really cool! Can I join you guys?" Luana gave the duo a Rockruff-eyed look that was impossible to say no to.

"Sure! The more the merrier, right?" Kiawe's rhetorical question was aimed at Juliette, who answered with an awkward silence. If that can be called an answer, that is.

"I think we should take her to the barn, she'll probably like it," Luana suggested as she stood between the two, giving her a friendly smile.

"I actually had that in mind! What do you say, Juliette?" Kiawe looked at her intently, awaiting her answer.

"Sure, why not? It's your house after all." Convinced that she said something stupid, Juliette cleared her throat. "I mean, you are the ones showing it to me."

The boy nodded before leading the way. "Let's go then!"

Juliette observed how Luana held onto Kiawe's arm shortly after. _"There must be something between these two, no doubt."_ The idea of being a couple's third wheel was less than amusing to her, but she decided to ignore it. Instead, Juliette turned her attention to Luana's Lycanroc again. It was evident that the Pokémon was well cared for. Even if she didn't want to get involved with others, Juliette appreciated people who treated their Pokémon well. She felt like asking some questions about the Lycanroc but as usual, she didn't know what to say.

"Uh…" Juliette hesitated for what felt like forever to her. The other two barely noticed that she was trying to talk. In that moment they were caught up in their own conversation, talking about the upcoming dinner. Seeing this, she decided to leave them alone.

After a while, the trio finally reached the barn. It looked just like the ones from movies and TV shows; It was a wide red construction with a huge gambrel roof. Loose hay was scattered near the ajar door in the front… Which meant that the smells from inside the building escaped through it.

Kiawe gestured Juliette, Luana, and their respective Pokémon to follow him. The first thing Juliette saw upon entering was a Talonflame perching on a play stand. She couldn't help but stop to take a look at it. The sight of the bird Pokémon inevitably reminded her of her home region. Halbert and Poppy recognized the Pokémon before them as well.

"Is this Pokémon yours?" Juliette asked Kiawe.

The boy stared at Juliette oddly as she stood much further away from Luana and himself. "Yes, he is."

"He must have reminded you of home, didn't he?" Luana asked in a sympathetic tone.

Juliette sighed as she mentally scolded herself for distracting the two. "Yeah, he did." Her Pokémon joined with a brief murmur of agreement as they all walked closer to Luana and Kiawe. _"Stay in the present, Juliette."_

"Look at the Mudbray! They must have had a good day today." Luana pointed at a group of Mudbray that lounged on top of a small pile of hay, all half asleep.

"Indeed. They've been playing in the mud throughout the day." Having said that, Kiawe addressed Juliette, who was distracted by the peaceful scene in front of her. Although making her snap out of it wasn't too hard. "I'm going to show you the place where we store the Moo Moo Milk."

"Oh, alright!" Juliette promised herself not to get too caught up in her own little world again, at least not while her neighbor and his girlfriend were having the courtesy of showing her around.

They walked in front of a stable with several Tauros and another one with a few Miltank. One of the Miltanks appeared to be heavily pregnant. For a city girl like Juliette, who has never been close to a Pokémon in this state— at least not that she remembers— seeing one for the first time was amazing. _"Wonders of farm life."_

The quiet ambience of the Pokémon relaxing in the barn could be heard when the three remained silent. Their footsteps could be heard as they trekked along the barn. Despite the peaceful silence, Luana decided to change the quiet tone by striking a conversation with Juliette, who was much too quiet for her liking. "Are you excited about tomorrow?"

The girl looked at Luana like she had two heads and four eyes. The question made her uncomfortable. If she faked her answer it would be too obvious and if she said what she really thought then there would be some explaining to do, and that's the last thing Juliette wanted. She didn't want to talk about the barbarities she went through in her old school, especially not the day before going to a new one. She was already too pessimistic to even think about it and in her view, talking about it out loud could attract bad luck. When Juliette thought about it, her thoughts have not drifted in that direction in a while, and that was thanks to the two individuals with her right now. "Well… I don't have much judgement on that until I see how everything goes." The girl smiled in hopes that her response was convincing enough.

"Fair enough." Luana nodded slightly. "I hope you have fun tomorrow and your first day goes well!"

"Oh, thank you!" Juliette was almost scared by the girl's kindness. An internal struggle was going on between a side that told her to not believe what Luana said and another one that urged her to stop seeing everything in such a negative light.

Meanwhile, Kiawe stopped in front of a big crate chock-full of milk jugs. "This is where we keep our fresh milk," he said.

"Oh and get this! Uncle Nohea gets products for Sunrise Café from this very farm!" Luana approached Juliette and placed her hand on her shoulder. The gesture startled Juliette a bit.

"Really? I didn't know!" Juliette said, trying her best to sound enthusiastic. " _But how would you know that if they never told you?_ "

Kiawe smiled faintly upon Juliette's response. "Our families get along very much. In fact, it's one of the main reasons we work together all the time."

 _"Oh, of course they get along!"_ Juliette smirked to herself, but her stark verbal response hid her amusement. "That's really nice."

"It sure is!" Following her statement, Luana briefly put her arm around Kiawe's shoulder and grinned playfully at him.

"Sometimes my Charizard and I take the products to the café and we stay there for a while to relax," The boy added.

"You have a Charizard too?" Juliette's voice had a hint of disappointment in it, influenced by the fact that most of the kids at her former school picked on her for choosing Bulbasaur over Charmander or Squirtle. She made sure to fix her tone quickly, or at least try to. "I mean, it's a good Pokémon and...it's a Fire type."

Kiawe nodded slightly. "It's a good Pokémon indeed." Luckily for her, Kiawe didn't mind her umpteenth awkward answer of the night. Ignoring the effect of talking to people Juliette barely knows, Kiawe addressed to her once more. "Tell me, what did you think of the farm?"

For once Juliette wasn't at a loss for words. "I really liked it! I've never been to an actual farm. The closest I've been to one was this place called Baa de Mer in Kalos, but I've only seen it from the outside."

Luana intervened with a smile across her face. "The Skiddo Ranch, right? I went there when I was a little girl! Riding the Skiddo and Gogoat there is loads of fun. Plus all of the Pokémon there are cute to boot!"

"I wish I could have visited the place at least once," Juliette sighed.

"You could always visit Kalos again in the future. Maybe then you can visit the ranch," Kiawe said as he leaned against the wall.

"Uh, as much as I would like to visit it, if I ever went back to Kalos that place wouldn't be my top priority."

"Oh?" Luana leaned towards Juliette, which prompted her to step back. "What other place do you have in mind? Anistar City?"

"Well…"

Before Juliette could say anything, the barn's doors opened. Sima appeared at the entrance, her feet scuffling against the barn floor. "Kids, dinner is ready!"

"Alright, mother!" Kiawe then looked over at his two companions. "Let's go!"

 _"Finally!"_ She didn't want to admit it, but Juliette was starting to feel hungry and dinner being ready was good news. Plus, it saved her from having to explain her fascination with Zygarde, which she feared it would weird her neighbors out.

The trio ambled outside the barn. Luana and Juliette were followed closely by their Pokémon while Kiawe's Talonflame prefered to stay inside the shed. The dark blue color of the sky faded until it became a very pale orange in the horizon, the first stars of the night could be seen and a waning moon made an appearance. The sights around her were something Juliette highly appreciated. Her last day of freedom before school has been great so far. Her new friends– although she refused to call them that so soon– have been a big help taking her mind off of school. Now she has found herself looking forward to having dinner at her new neighbor's house. It looked like her grandmother was right after all, leaving her room and joining her father has proven to be a good idea.

They soon made it to the dining room. Everyone was sitting down at the table except for Rango and Nohea, who were serving some dishes that have not yet made it to the table. Mimo urged Kiawe to sit beside her while Mainard did the same with Juliette. He and Édith saved a seat between them for her. They knew that would help Juliette feel more at ease and she deeply appreciated the gesture.

It did not take long for Nohea and Rango to retrieve the rest of the dishes and sit down with the rest of the group. Their Pokémon sat not too far from the group, all served with a mixture of Pokémon food and their Trainer's food. Food that Juliette stared at hungrily, albeit with discretion. _"Wow, they went all out for this!"_ The serving plates were overflowing with various viands such as mashed potatoes, rolls with butter, and mac 'n' cheese. A large salad bowl and a tray filled with corn on the cob sat not too far from Juliette. Near the center of the table was the biggest ham Juliette has ever seen, covered with a maple and brown sugar glaze. Lastly, a few pies that were still fuming were put aside from the rest of the food. For Juliette and her family, the best part of the meal was the fact that most of the food— if not all of it— was made out of products straight from the farm. They've never experienced something such as this in Kalos.

Sima gently tapped on the table to get everyone's attention. "Before we start eating, I'd like us to give thanks to the Wela Volcano."

This was new to Juliette and her family. They weren't used to praying before their meals, but they knew that this was a custom for other people, so they joined the others in a silent prayer. A solemn atmosphere took over the dining room for a solid, quiet minute. After what felt like an eternity, Sima signaled everyone to start eating. "Serve yourselves and enjoy the meal!"

"Do you want me to serve you?" Mainard asked his daughter before filling his own dish.

Juliette looked at her father's empty plate and then at him. "Shouldn't you serve yourself first?"

Mainard chuckled. "I can wait! Tell me, what would you like to have?"

"Alright… I want some mashed potatoes and corn on the cob."

Her father took her plate and served a decent amount of mashed potatoes as well as a single cornstick. "Here you go!"

"Thank you!" Juliette smiled at her father before starting to eat. She saw him serve himself some salad out of the corner of her eye.

"This mac 'n' cheese is delicious!" Édith congratulated Makoa and Nohea, who were responsible for the preparation of said food.

"Thank you!" Makoa said, waving his hand in front of him sheepishly. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "The secret is in the sauce."

"When the sauce is in the right consistency, you have to remove it from the heat and then whisk the cheese into the sauce." Nohea added in a hushed voice.

Sima overheard the other woman and emitted a good-natured laugh. "No need to murmur, we all know your secret for macaroni and cheese!"

Nohea laughed heartily back at her comment. The environment was cheerful and laid-back. Everyone felt at home. Even Juliette, who less than three hours ago felt completely out of place in this house, felt somewhat at home. _"I can't believe I'm actually liking it there. This is weird...but also good."_ She eyed Luana and Kiawe, who were focused on their food besides the occasional comment and Kiawe telling his sister to finish her serving of salad. _"Maybe this would be a good time to ask Luana about her Lycanroc. But, what if she feels annoyed?_ _What if—"_

"I know what that face means as soon as I see it." As always, Édith "rescued" Juliette from her thoughts. "If you want to talk to someone, just do it!"

"But everybody is eating and I don't want to bother them!" Juliette took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and shoved it into her mouth as a way to shut herself up. Édith rolled her eyes.

"What an excuse! So are we and we're still talking. Go ahead!" Édith gave her granddaughter an encouraging pat on the back and went back to eating her macaroni and cheese, discreetly paying attention to what Juliette will do next.

The girl sighed and counted to ten mentally. She had no idea of what to say. After looking at her grandmother out of the corner of her eye in search of an answer that never came, Juliette knew that she had to do this herself.

"Uh… Luana?"

"Yes?" The other girl turned her attention to Juliette immediately. This relieved her as she was sure that Luana would for some reason ignore her.

Juliette took a quick glance at the blue Lycanroc sitting not too far from Luana, who was eating wildly from his bowl, and then looked back at his owner. "Your Lycanroc is shiny, right?"

"That's right!" Luana smiled brightly. "His name is Pohaku. He was my very first Pokémon!"

Juliette raised her eyebrows and gave her a wide-eyed look. "Wow, you got a shiny Pokémon as your first partner? You're really lucky!"

"I have to thank my parents for that." Luana looked down at her plate, which was filled with salad and macaroni, and faintly sighed. "They're shiny hunters and they're really good at it. I hope I can be like them someday. I've yet to find a shiny myself. Father gave me Pohaku when he was in an egg!"

 _"She has an interesting goal too…"_ Again, Juliette took a quick glance out of the corner of her eye at her grandmother, who was currently focused on the mashed potatoes she was now serving herself. Her father was talking to Luana's uncle about the recent move. Why not go on with the conversation?

"Tell me, since you're from Kalos too, have you ever tried to challenge the Gym Leaders?" Juliette leaned forward without realizing. Her grandmother, who was well aware of the events around her, nodded at the gesture.

"My family moved to Alola when I was five, so I never had the chance. But I did take on the Island Challenge!"

"The Island Challenge?" Juliette tilted her head slightly in confusion. " _Yet another thing I don't know about."_

"The Island Challenge," Kiawe chimed in, "is like a rite of passage of sorts. All Pokémon Trainers can participate when they turn eleven years-old."

"You travel across all the islands to beat several trials in each of them. When you're done with these trials, you have to battle the Island Kahuna, the strongest Trainer of the island!" Luana's eyes sparkled at the the thought of the aforementioned, recalling all of her fond memories.

Juliette leaned back on her seat, nodding slowly. "That sounds interesting indeed!"

"Maybe you should give it a try. You obtain a Z-Crystal as well after completing each trial," Kiawe explained.

"So it's like obtaining Gym Badges in a way…" Juliette briefly rested her chin on her hand. "I'll be honest, I've never been interested in these kinds of journeys. When I was in Kalos, I was the only one in my class who didn't want to challenge the Gym Leaders."

"You are not forced to do it if you don't want to, you know," Kiawe reassured her. "Maybe one day you will set on a life-changing journey of your own."

Yet again, Juliette took a quick look at her grandmother. _"Maybe he's right. Setting on my own life changing journey would be...interesting, to say at least."_ She suspected Édith had the key to that.

"Also, the Island Challenge is not just about beating trials and getting Z-Crystals. You also make great friends along the way." Luana smiled and looked at Kiawe. "For an example, Kiawe and I took on the Trials roughly around the same time. We bonded during that time, and now we're best friends!"

 _"Oh, so they're just friends!"_ No matter how hard she tried, Juliette couldn't contain an amused smile. "Yeah, I can tell!"

The dinner went on between lively conversations, laughs, and good food. Everyone was caught up in the cheerful spirit of the reunion, especially Juliette, who needed it the most amongst the people in the dining room. That cheerful spirit gave her a bit of strength to face the next day, a day that she hoped wouldn't be an uphill climb. Deep down, she knew that was up to her and her attitude.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Baptized by fire**

Time never went by so slowly inside of a moving car. At least not for Juliette. She was now on her way to her new school, Akala Trainer Academy. The situation reminded her of a time when she went zip-lining during a school trip and the instructor pushed her because she didn't dare to jump herself. Even though this time Juliette's life wasn't in danger, it was just as scary to her. Besides, the sudden change from a rural setting to a reasonably big city was a shock to her. She only hoped that the new school was nothing like the one in Anistar City.

"Julie, is your schedule at hand?" her father asked without taking his eyes off of the road.

"Yes Dad, but I haven't look at it yet. I will when I get there."

Édith— who was there as well to give her granddaughter some support— shook her head and looked at Juliette. "Are you saying you aren't excited to know about the subjects you will be taking?"

"It's not that, it's just that I've put it off many times and I never looked at it." Juliette adjusted her cap nervously.

"We understand that you're nervous about it, but keep in mind that this school is different from the one in Anistar City. You will like it there!" Mainard tried to spread enthusiasm to his daughter.

"That's true. This is a Trainer School while the other wasn't, even if Pokémon were allowed." Juliette shifted in her seat, wondering how long it would be until they made it to school.

"And that's why you shouldn't be nervous," Édith patted her granddaughter's back, "It will be much better, you'll see!"

"If you say so…"

Juliette looked through the car's window and remembered the relaxing atmosphere of last night's dinner and tried to go back to that moment in her mind. She felt great then, even though she was unsure about it at first. The same may be applied now… Juliette has a strong reason to try and make the most out of this school. Her grandmother's promise.

Now that she was about to start attending classes, it shouldn't be long until Édith revealed her intentions behind showing Juliette the interview with Sina and Dexio. A little more than a week had passed since then and Juliette was starting to get restless about it. She wondered how long it would take for her grandmother to spill the beans. One day? A week? A month? When Édith decides to act cryptic there's no way to tell what she has in mind and sadly for Juliette, this was one of these times.

The constructions seemed to grow in size the more their car advanced. If they looked back, the family would be able to see the Hano Grand Resort standing proudly in the distance. On the other hand, the building they were headed for—which was very far from being a holiday resort—was much closer to them. Groups of teenagers were visible on the sidewalks and much to Juliette's dismay, there were quite a lot of people. _"Do it for what Grandma told you. Do it for...him."_ Although unintentionally melodramatic, Juliette's thoughts were the only thing keeping her from trying to jump out of the car. That and her family's presence, of course. They were wishing the best for her and she didn't want to be ungrateful.

The vehicle slowed down as it approached the main gate of the school's building. _"This is it."_ Juliette barely looked at it. She prefered to wait until her father and grandmother were gone to examine the campus by herself, which was a rather brave move on her behalf.

"Here we are!" Mainard said as he looked at his daughter, following the sentence with an encouraging smile.

" _Ouah,_ this school is smaller than the one in Anistar City, but it looks prettier!" Édith looked in awe, an emotion that her granddaughter didn't share. At least not yet.

A light silence took hold inside the vehicle. People minding their own business walked past the car; most of them being kids and teenagers that were headed towards the school. The zip-lining incident memory took a hold of her again. She didn't dare to jump by herself, although she knew she had to do it.

"Well…" she tried, "Er, should I open the door?"

Her father and grandmother looked at her with a sympathetic expression. However, a crooked smile soon appeared on Édith's face. "If you don't do it, nobody else will!" The woman then became a bit more serious, ready to add in a piece of her mind. She leaned in close and whispered, "Plus, if you don't go, you'll never learn more about the interview."

The realization hit Juliette like a truck. That was the final push she needed. Juliette gathered all of her things and left the car at lightning speed, unintentionally slamming the car door. She was aware that some people were looking directly at her now and her face burned in embarrassment because of it. However, she kept in mind that there was something in the end that made going through this embarrassing situation worth it. At least that's what Juliette thought. She hoped her grandmother wasn't using the interview with Sina and Dexio just to convince her to go to school.

"Remember, this is going to be different from Kalos. I hope you have a good time!" Mainard beamed, straining his neck so he could see his daughter from the driver's seat.

"Also," Édith leaned towards the window, "if someone happens to be rude to you today do _not_ hesitate to tell your teacher. They will know how to help you."

"Unless teachers here are as apathetic as the ones in Kalos," Juliette retorted as she sighed and examined her surroundings. Almost everyone was inside the campus, even though the school bell hasn't rung yet. "I think I should go inside already. See you later!"

"See you Juliette, good luck!" Mainard and Édith waved goodbye at the girl before the former started the car. Juliette kept waving at them until she lost sight of the vehicle. The moment of truth had arrived.

Like her grandmother said not even five minutes ago, the school was indeed smaller than the previous one. Juliette slowly walked through the white gates alongside a few preoccupied students, looking in awe at the wide campus. She walked towards a statue that stood in the middle of the yard. It depicted Akala Island's guardian, Tapu Lele. According to what her father told her, the Pokémon also served as the academy's mascot. The high school in Anistar City didn't have a mascot, but everyone there took pride in the fact that the building was not too far from the Sundial.

However, the statue wasn't the only thing that caught her eye. Upon looking to her right, she spotted a couple of battlefields meant for Pokémon battles. There were two more on the left side of the campus. It was inevitable for Juliette to make comparisons to her former school; they didn't have battlefields in Anistar. Students battled in the schoolyard and although that worked just fine, seeing that this school had an area specially meant for battling somehow made Juliette think that Akala Trainer Academy was more complete despite being smaller in size. Besides that, almost everyone on campus had one or two Pokémon out. In Anistar City, students were only allowed to let their Pokémon out during recess.

Although she liked the environment so far, Juliette couldn't help but feel like a Magikarp out of water. She observed how nearly everyone talked to each other rather animatedly while she was one of few who were all by themselves. On top of that, she has been standing in place awkwardly. To her it was like she was wearing a neon sign that read "New Kid". A little group of students that stood not too far from Juliette looked at her in a way that lacked discretion. Luckily enough for Juliette, they looked away from her. She took this as a sign to move along and continued to make her way through the campus.

Not knowing where to go, Juliette walked aimlessly around the campus. Since there were lots of Pokémon out and about, she decided to let one of hers out as well. Juliette retrieved Poppy's Poké Ball from her bag. _"She will love this place and getting to see so many Pokémon, no doubt!"_

Like Juliette had thought, as soon as Poppy emerged from her Poké Ball she looked around in awe, pausing to look at the grass fields in the school grounds and the variety of Pokémon that hung out with both their Trainers and each other. The enthusiastic Pokémon was about to run off to join a group comprised by a Fomantis, a Trumbeak and a Pichu…but the school bell rang at that very moment. This was the real moment of truth.

Juliette breathed in deeply before picking up Poppy, her legs dangling in the air as if to escape her Trainer's grasp. "I don't want you to get lost in the crowd, you know." With her Pokémon now resting in her arms, the girl headed the towards the campus's front door, which was shaped as an arch and made up of mainly glass and dark wood. Her steps were slow and hesitating. In one hand Juliette didn't want to mingle with the crowd, but in the other hand she knew she had to do it if she wanted to make it to her first class on time. Since it was her first day, she had little to no clue where her classroom was and what subject she will be learning first. But those questions could easily be answered using one particular slip of paper.

Juliette put Poppy on the floor for a moment and got her schedule from her bag. This was the very first time Juliette bothered to look at the dreaded slip of paper. Reading the schedule over, Juliette learned that her first class subject is Pokémon Variations and her teacher was someone named Samson Oak. The name sounded familiar to her… _"Wasn't this the principal's name?"_ She recalled her mother mentioning the school's principal was a man named Samson.

A sudden pat on Juliette's shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. The girl had been sidetracked for so long that she became unaware of her surrounding. She turned around vehemently, not knowing what to expect. The girl froze in place when she saw a bronze skinned man standing in front of her. From his looks she could tell that he was definitely not a student.

"Well this is unfortunate! I didn't mean to _Starly_ you!" The man's long, grey hair was the most remarkable part of his appearance. His outfit was rather garish; he appeared to look like a tourist rather than a teacher.

"It's...fine, I guess. Today is my first day here and I'm a bit lost…" Juliette rubbed the nape of her neck, avoiding eye contact with the man.

"Aha! You must be the new student! It's nice to meet you. My name is Samson Oak; Akala Trainer Academy's principal! But you probably knew that already!" He accompanied his words with the traditional greeting gesture of the region.

 _"The principal is also a teacher?! I didn't expect this. And that pun…"_ Juliette greeted him back with the familiar gesture. "I-I read that you are the teacher for the Pokémon Variations subject," she stammered. "Could you tell me w-where the classroom is?" Oak laughed joyously at her question, earning him a questionable glare from Juliette.

"Not only can I tell you where it is, I'll lead you there! We are both going to the same place, after all."

Oak's laid-back attitude was radically different from what Juliette witnessed in the school teachers of her home region. Some even despised their job. "O-oh right! I'll make sure to remember the way there…"

With a brief moment of hesitation, Juliette picked up Poppy and followed her new teacher to the classroom. There were a scarce amount of students loitering around the hallways due to their teachers' arriving late. Oak guestured Juliette to wait as he approached the small group of students.

"Youngsters, your teachers will be here in no time. I'm sure they'll be _Happiny_ to see everyone inside the classroom!" These words were enough for the teenagers to go inside their classrooms without any disobedience. Oak turned around to face Juliette, who had observed the scene in silence. "Alright, let's Gogoat!"

The hallway was not very wide and rather short for a school, keeping in mind the building's size. The walls were colored beige, making the dark wood doors stand out. Small signs hung on the wall right next to each door; C-4, C-5, and so on, indicating each classroom. Watching the doors go by was excruciating for Juliette and she wondered if the doors would go by forever. _"Well If you looked at the schedule when Mom and Dad gave it to you, you'd know the classroom!"_

Luckily—or unluckily—for her, it only took a minute more to reach what would be her classroom from now on: Room C-8. Oak placed his hand on the doorknob, but he didn't open the door just yet. "I nearly forgot! I'd like you to introduce yourself to the class before we start, alright?"

 _"No."_ Juliette's eyes widened. i _"Is he really going to put me through this…? But I can't say no to the principal, much less on my first day…"_ The girl realized her teacher was waiting for her answer. She nodded rather exaggeratedly, "Y-yes! It's fine by me," she lied out of her teeth.

"Good!" At that moment Oak opened the door without asking if she was ready. Without any warning. It was the zip-lining incident all over again.

Juliette followed her teacher with her head hung low. Because of this, the first thing she saw upon entering the room was a Komala fast asleep next to the teacher's desk. The teen didn't know where to look, she didn't dare to look at her new classmates, although she knew she had to. Not even having Poppy snuggled up close in her arms helped her feel at ease. Either way, Juliette was soon distracted by the faint Poké Ball patterns on the dark wooden floor, zoning out what Oak was saying to the class.

"...a new student. Please, introduce yourself!" He looked in Juliette's direction with a kind smile. Again, Juliette felt like Oak was waiting on her.

Hesitating, the girl shifted her focus from the floor to the students in the classroom. As soon as she did, a sharp gasp came from the first row, startling Juliette. She was shocked upon discovering said gasper: Luana, the girl she had just recently formerly met, sat with her mouth ajar, an expression that showed both surprise and happiness. But that was not all; in the second and last row was Kiawe. He looked at Juliette with a small smile planted on his face. _"Is this a dream or is it really happening?"_ The other students seemed more or less curious about her identity, exchanging looks and whispers amongst each other.

The sight of those two familiar faces filled Juliette with slight encouragement. She looked down at her Bulbasaur for a second before directing her gaze at the class again. "A-Alola! My name is Juliette Ronson. I come from Anistar City, in Kalos. I moved here with my family very recently." She shot an awkward look at Oak in search of approval. All he did was nod ever so slightly. "That's all. I hope we can...get along."

"Alola!" The rest of the students welcomed her except for two boys sitting in the last row who looked rather bored, although the day had just started.

Oak then approached Juliette, pointing to an empty seat on the second row which was right next to the wall. "This will be your seat from now on. I sincerely _Hoopa_ feel at ease here!"

"Yeah," she dragged on the word, "I hope so too."

The teen headed for her desk quietly, averting every students' curious glares. Poppy squirmed in her grasp, begging to be let free. The Pokémon wanted to play with the other student's Pokémon that sat next to their Trainers or in other corners of the classroom. Most if not all of the Pokémon were unfamiliar to Poppy. The Togedemaru belonging to the boy sitting next to Juliette quickly caught her attention and as soon as her Trainer put her down, Poppy approached the dual Electric and Steel type.

Juliette was far from sharing her Bulbasaur's social attitude. As soon as she sat down, she slowly but surely took out all of the necessary things for school out of her bag, fixating her gaze only on her belongings. She hoped that nobody would say anything to her, but that was futile. The young boy sitting to her right side wanted to introduce himself.

"H-Hey! My name is Sophocles." The naturally rosy hue on the boy's cheeks intensified as he spoke quietly. "You said you come from Kalos, right? I heard there's a brilliant inventor there."

Juliette didn't know what to answer at first. _"He seems kinda shy too. That's...adorable."_ It took her a few seconds until she remembered who Sophocles was referring to. "Oh, Clemont! I think you're talking about Clemont. He is good at what he does, yes..." Unfortunately, she didn't feel confident enough to maintain a conversation and the girl soon shifted her attention back to her school equipment. Despite her arrival, it was still a regular school day and Juliette intended to pay as much attention as possible. Meanwhile, her Bulbasaur was busy playing with Sophocles's Togedemaru in between their Trainers' desks.

Oak took no time to start the lesson. He wrote the words _Totem Pokémon_ on a large blackboard that was hung behind his desk and in front of the classroom. "Alright, who can explain what exactly Totem Pokémon are?" Luana raised her arm vigorously just as the teacher was done asking his question. Oak gave the floor to her.

"Totem Pokémon are the Pokémon that you battle at the end of every Trial! They are trained by the Trial Captains themselves."

" _Raichu_ are!" He wrote down Luana's statement on the blackboard just below the title in neat bullet points. "Does somebody have anything else to add?" Oak's eyes scanned the room.

A petite blue haired girl raised her arm this time. "They usually weigh two to four times more than Pokémon of their same species."

Oak hummed in agreement and nodded as wrote the new information on the blackboard. Then he turned to face the classroom once again. "Now, does anybody know the reason why Totem Pokémon are bigger than other Pokémon?"

"Because they eat too much, that's why!" A boy with dark blue hair adorned in a matte black tank-top, dark brown capris, and black and white sneakers said aggressively, shooting a nasty look at Sophocles. Juliette caught the boy's stare directed to her neighboring classmate. The aggressor was leaned back in his chair with his legs propped up on the desk.

Although he was sitting on the opposite end of the row, Juliette saw the expression in his dark blue eyes and it scared her. Any little hint of comfort she felt was gone. _"What did I expect? Of course there would be bad people in this school. I'm glad I always kept the possibility in mind."_

The teacher still maintained his relaxed attitude despite the disruption. "No Cyan, that's not w–"

"It's Chaos, not Cyan!" If looks could kill, the class would have ended at that moment.

"Alright, Chaos." Oak was not fazed by Cyan's explosive attitude. He continued with the class as if nothing happened. "One of the theories regarding the unusual size of these Pokémon has to do with the _Aurorus_ that surrounds them during battle. It has been proven that this aura boosts certain characteristics of these Pokémon. What characteristics are we talking about?"

This time it was Kiawe who requested the floor, "Their speed and endurance, for an example."

"Very well!" Oak wrote the info down on the blackboard. "Please write down the notes from the blackboard. This will be on the next exam!"

 _"Again, what did I expect? Of course they do exams!"_ The idea of doing an exam so soon didn't enthuse Juliette, especially keeping in mind that the topics covered would most likely be unfamiliar to her. In her short time in Alola she could tell that the way people lived with Pokémon was different from that of Kalos. She looked at Sophocles—who was writing down the annotations on the chalkboard—and tried to ask him about it, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"Uh…" she started, slightly leaning towards him, "Sophocles?"

"Yes?" The boy barely took his eyes off his notebook, avoiding direct eye contact with her.

"Is there an exam coming up?"

"Yeah, we are having it next week so you should have plenty of time to study."

Juliette nodded and returned to a normal position on her seat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Cyan—or Chaos—sitting on his chair like it was his home's couch instead. Between him and Kiawe sat a boy wearing fancy attire; a dark brown overcoat, black form fitting pants, and pointed brown shoes made of leather. He sat leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and his eyes shut, a frown placed on his thin lips. _"How can Oak be so calm with these kinds of people in his classroom and do nothing about it? My old teacher would have kicked them out by now!"_

Meanwhile, Oak handed out a worksheet to each student. When he handed one to Juliette, she skimmed over the questions briefly. Each one was about Totem Pokémon, as she expected. Before working on the assignment, she decided to quickly jot down the notes on the blackboard...if the murmuring of her classmates allowed her to. She briefly looked up from her assignment only to see Luana smiling at her.

"I can't wait for recess time to come!" she whispered excitedly to Juliette.

Ah yes, recess time. Juliette's least favorite part of the school day. "It shouldn't be long until then, I guess." She was still a bit too nervous to maintain a proper conversation. Luana was dying to talk to her more, but she just nodded and turned her attention to the worksheet on her desk.

However, Juliette did look forward to asking either Luana or Kiawe why they didn't tell her that they would be classmates during yesterday's union. That would have allowed her to feel more confident, knowing that she would find at least a couple of familiar faces. The fact that everyone in the classroom seemed to know each other well didn't help her. Juliette felt like an intruder. Deep down she knew it was an irrational feeling, especially after seeing Luana and Kiawe here as well as the kindness her new teacher and Sophocles had shown her so far, but she still felt that way regardless.

She overheard fragments of conversations between her classmates. "Are we going to talk about that in a couple of weeks, then?" A dark skinned boy sitting next to Luana asked the aforementioned.

"I don't know Hau, we will have to wait until the teacher says something about it," she answered in a hushed tone.

"Mallow, is this an _a_ or an _o_?" The blue haired girl in the front row asked the girl sitting next to her, showing the worksheet about Totem Pokémon.

"I'm not sure myself, Lana, but it kind of looks like an _a_ to me. I hope I'm not wrong!"

Juliette was surprised to see her classmates address each other by their names. _"I need to stop comparing this school to the old one,"_ she told herself, recalling how in her old class every kid seemed to be named "Hey you" or something similar. Plus, there were a lot of people so remembering everybody's name was difficult, even for the teacher. In this classroom there were only ten students. Juliette looked over at Kiawe to see what he was up to. Like almost everybody else, he was working on the worksheet Oak gave him. She then shifted her attention to a well dressed girl in the first row.

Her entire outfit was white, save for some light blue accents. An enormous sunhat rested next to her desk with an Alolan Vulpix snuggled up inside of it. For whatever reason, the girl's bag was still hanging from her shoulder. Juliette rolled her eyes at the sight. _"Look at her, she's probably afraid that someone will steal her super expensive bag. Another one to watch out for."_

" _Crustle_ up, students! I'll be picking up your assignments shortly!" Oak was now sitting on his desk organizing several papers. The Komala—who Juliette assumed was his—still snoozed next to him.

 _"Alright, now is not the time to worry about what everyone in this class might be like. I should be doing these exercises or else the teacher won't be too happy...and neither will Grandma."_ With those thoughts in mind, Juliette started working for good. There will be plenty of time to worry about the personality of her new schoolmates later.

* * *

After an explanation about the differences between Kantonian and Alolan environments that lasted more than an hour, the school's bell rang loudly overhead. Recess has begun, much to the student's joy. For most of them, anyways. Juliette had no idea what she will be doing for the duration of the time. The time may be short, but to her it would feel like an eternity. _"_ _Sure there's Luana and Kiawe to consider, but they'll probably be hanging out with their other friends…"_ Juliette sighed and called for Poppy to follow her. The girl had to beckon her Bulbasaur twice because the latter was staring in awe at the teacher's Komala.

When the two were about to leave the classroom, Juliette felt someone lightly grab her wrist. With her shoulders hunched, she turned around to identify whoever was trying to retain her. It was none other than Luana.

"Juliette! How are you?" she cooed.

Baffled by Luana's never-ending affability, Juliette was at a loss for words. "I-I'm doing pretty well," she managed to say after a few seconds of silence. "And you?"

"I'm doing great! Isn't it such a lovely coincidence that we're in the same class? Here, let me introduce you to someone." The boy who sat right next to Luana stood right by her side. She put her right arm around his shoulders and grinned widely. "This is my closest friend, Hau!"

"Alola!" Hau greeted her with a similar grin. Juliette could already tell why these two were friends. Their personalities were practically one of the same.

"Alola!" she saluted back, clueless on what to say next.

Just a few seconds after the exchange, Kiawe joined them with his Alolan Marowak following close by. "Hey, we should head to the courtyard together. What do you say?" His question was aimed at Juliette.

She shrugged, sporting a nervous smile. "That's fine with me, I guess..."

"Great! Let's get going then!" Kiawe said.

Upon leaving the classroom, Juliette was surprised to see such a small amount of people in the hallway. It was easy to tell that the school was small in size at that very moment. She almost sighed in relief, knowing that she would be able to make it to the courtyard without having to thread her way through a big crowd. However, this time she will not be spending recess alone, unlike before. _"At least it'll be better than spending it locked inside the janitor's room…"_

"Hey Juliette," Luana's voice silenced her thoughts. Now they were located in the lobby. "See those stairs over there? They lead to an indoor battlefield meant for bad weather days! It gets pretty noisy when people battle up there, but everyone is used to it."

"Although it almost never rains here in Alola!" Hau chimed in. "So usually other students go upstairs to hang out during recess."

Luana smiled at the comment. "Better be safe than sorry!"

"That's...interesting," Juliette murmured, taking a quick glance at the stairs.

"Juliette, there's a small canteen in the courtyard," Kiawe changed the subject. "Would you like to get something from there or would you rather go outside the campus?"

"No thanks. I brought lunch from home."

"Hau and I will go get something from the canteen!" Luana then looked at Kiawe and said, "You should stay with Juliette until we come back so she won't have to be alone!"

"Sure. We will be waiting for you near the battlefields," he replied in agreement.

Once the group made it outside, they went on their separate ways. While Hau and Luana headed for the canteen, Kiawe led Juliette to a bench close to one of the battlefields on the left side of the campus. The two of them remained quiet for a few moments until Juliette—albeit with difficulty—decided to break the silence herself.

"Kiawe?"

"Yes?" He looked at her.

"Yesterday when I said that I would be coming to this school, why didn't you or Luana say that we would be classmates?"

"Oh…" Kiawe smiled nervously. "We didn't think that you would be in the same class as us, that's all. But having you here will be interesting."

Juliette almost jumped from her seat. "Wait, you really think so?"

"Yes. Why should I think otherwise?" He gave her a quizzical look, his head slightly tilted.

"Nothing, it's nothing…" The girl sighed and decided to observe the battlefield in front of them.

Two boys had just started a battle. One of them sent out a Machoke while the other settled for a Ribombee. Poppy and Kiawe's Marowak followed the battle attentively. When Juliette spotted her and Kiawe's Pokémon's endearing interest of the clash, she remembered her reaction to learning about Alolan variants yesterday. _"_ _That could be an excuse to attempt to start a conversation again…"_ She felt guilty being so quiet when Kiawe was bothering—in her eyes at least—to keep her company when he could have chosen to go with his friends instead.

"Remember when you told me about Alolan variants yesterday?" She smiled awkwardly.

"Of course I do. What do you think of my vaunted Marowak?" Kiawe petted his Pokémon's head.

"He surely looks different from any Marowak I've ever seen. It's kind of...shocking."

The boy nodded. "That's a common reaction for people who come to Alola without hearing about these variations, so I understand your reasoning."

Just as Juliette tried to think of what to say next, Hau and Luana came back from the canteen followed by their Pokémon; an Alolan Raichu and a Vaporeon respectively. Both of the Trainers were carrying a small paper bag and something to drink.

"Mhm, jelly filled malasadas!" Hau squealed in delight as he retrieved a sugar covered ball of deep-fried dough from the oil-stained bag. Luana sighed playfully from the sight.

"Malasadas, of course. It's like no other delicacy existed!" Luana shook her head, a faint smile appearing on her face.

The newcomers sat next to Juliette and Kiawe. Their respective Pokémon soon began to play with each other. Juliette had Luana sitting to her right and as she expected, the bubbly waitress was eager to start a conversation, "What do you have for lunch?"

Juliette opened her lunch box where a ham and cheese sandwich and an apple juice box sat. "This has been my school lunch for years. Now that we're in a different region I expected it to change, but...I guess I'll have to tell my Dad about it."

"Your dad makes your lunch? How lucky!" Hau exclaimed with a full mouth. "Mine is in Kanto. I wish he could visit me and Gramps more often."

 _"His father is in another region! And to think I complain about Mom working too much…"_ Juliette didn't know how to reply to him.

"I guess being the son of a Kahuna is too much for him…" The happy-go-lucky expression and joyous tone Hau spoke with made it sound like his father being so far away wasn't a big deal. "He's a powerful Trainer, yes, but he works far from Alola nowadays."

" _Wait,_ your grandfather is a Kahuna?!" Juliette's eyes widened.

"Yes! He is Melemele Island's strongest Trainer and I aim to beat him in battle someday. Beating him is one of the main reasons I'm here."

"I would know," Luana added, "after we finished the Island Challenge Hau told me he wanted to enroll in a Trainer school because it might help him."

Juliette tilted her head in confusion. "But Hau, don't you live in Melemele? I heard there's a Trainer School there too."

"Yeah, but I thought going to this one would be better because then I'm close to my friends!"

Luana raised her index finger. "As a matter of fact, I live in Melemele too but like Hau said, I prefer this school because all my friends are here."

"Lillie lives in Melemele Island as well," Kiawe commented.

"In Lillie's case, she's here because her mother is convinced that this school is the best for her, for whatever reason." Hau went silent for a moment and then grinned; a faint tint of pink crossing his cheeks. "But I don't mind her being here!"

"Is Lillie the girl with the sunhat next to her desk?" Juliette asked all of the sudden. As the words left her mouth, however, she realized that this was a pointless question.

"Yes!" Luana answered. "For some reason, your question reminds me of when Lillie told me that her mother chose her attire, including the sunhat she wears. I do find it a little odd—considering I've been choosing my own clothes since I was a little girl—but I like to think that her mother likes to do that for Lillie."

Juliette nodded slightly. _"I think I was a bit too quick to judge this Lillie girl."_ From the look of things, she was also a bit too quick to think that recess time would be a bore. Getting to learn a bit more about her new classmates was interesting and so far none of them were rude to her. Deep down she was afraid that this would change as days went by, but she wanted to trust them especially Luana and Kiawe. They seemed to be reliable, at least to Juliette. _"Only time will tell,"_ the girl told herself; a slight feeling of uncertainty settling within her.

* * *

Time went by strangely fast. Against all odds, Juliette felt at ease during break time. Luana, Hau, and Kiawe proved to be good company to her and she secretly hoped they would stick around the next day too. A little bit of familiarity never hurts.

The other surprise of the day for Juliette was how fast the day went by overall. Now they were facing the last lesson of the day, which had to do with Pokémon moves. The teacher arrived to the class less than five minutes ago. Juliette was shocked to see him wear no shirt under his white lab coat. He was adorned in shorts, exercise shoes, a hat, and wide sunglasses.

"Do they allow people to just go around shirtless in this school?" Juliette asked Luana discreetly, her head hung low as she leaned in towards the girl.

Luana giggled and whispered, "They do. I mean, look at Kiawe! Since it's so hot in this region, we see it as something normal."

"But this man is a teacher…" Juliette murmured to herself.

"I see a new face!" The aforementioned exclaimed, staring in Juliette and Luana's direction.

The girl wanted to hide. _"Quelle horreur, I hope he didn't hear me!"_

"Alola! You must be Juliette, the new student. I'm Professor Kukui; the professor of the region and a volunteer teacher to this school. I hope you won't find my classes too boring!"

The class laughed with Kukui's comment and again, Juliette didn't know how to react. "Well...I don't think they will be boring," she replied timidly.

"Glad to hear that. Let's start then!" Kukui turned to face the blackboard and began to write on it. The text read _The importance of Status Moves._ "I think it's about time we Tackled this subject! How many of you use Status Moves regularly?"

"Please," The student with the fancy jacket spoke, "no one uses such moves when all you need is raw power."

"That's what I like to hear, Telford!" Chaos humoured him noisily and then proceeded to fist bump his colleague.

"Actually," Kukui spoke, "you kids will be surprised to learn that it's actually the opposite! Most Trainers don't give Status Moves a chance because the majority of them prefer using powerful moves that sweep their opponents in the blink of an eye. Isn't that right, Telford?"

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly, leaning against his seat.

"Who can tell me one possible effect of Status Moves?" After Kukui's request, Lillie raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Some Status Moves can be used to heal your Pokémon, your allies, and sometimes even your opponent."

"Correct!" Kukui cheered, quickly writing the information down on the chalkboard. "Healing moves are very helpful when you are in a pinch. Besides, you even get to save cash!" The class reacted by laughing heartily. Juliette didn't know what to do because if she feigned her laugh it would be too evident, so she just smiled. "Alright, what are other uses of Status Moves?"

"They can cause Status conditions too! Like Paralysis or Poisoning," Sophocles said.

"Well said Sophocles! Status conditions are possibly one of the best known effects of Status Moves, yeah," Kukui annotated the new information on the blackboard as well. "Status Moves like Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Hypnosis, Toxic Spikes and many others can cause different effects on the opposing Pokémon. These conditions affect the Pokémon's battle prowess and can grant the user a huge advantage. What else can we do with Status Moves?"

"Some of them boost the Pokémon's stats and power up their strength, like in Bulk Up's case," Kiawe answered.

"That too, oh yeah!" the teacher beamed as he wrote down the information before he faced his students again. "As you can see, Status Moves are actually pretty useful in battle. With the correct strategy, they can be a surefire way to win a battle!"

"Is there something else we need to know?" Telford droned, sprawled out on his seat as if he was watching a boring TV show.

"Yeah, there's something else y'all need to know about Status Moves. Also," Kukui added, "I would appreciate if you sat more normally, Telford."

Telford narrowly looked at Chaos and then at Kukui a few times. He muttered something under his breath to his partner as he adapted a less relaxed position at his seat. Now he was leaning on his desk, resting his chin on his hand with a bored expression across his face. Juliette observed the scene out of the corner of her eye, marveling at how teachers could make students conform to them without making a fuss. _"Now I'm almost convinced that Alolan people are indeed different."_

Kukui was now ready to start his explanation. "There's something that can make Status Moves even more interesting and that's combining them with Z-Moves. Pokémon Trainers hardly combine the two, which is such a shame." The teacher paused to look at the students' reactions. They looked at him in silence, expecting him to continue. However, they would have to wait because Kukui had a different idea in mind. "Juliette, what can you say about Z-Moves?"

That was the last thing the girl expected to hear. _"Z-Moves? I barely know anything about them! Didn't Kiawe tell me something about them yesterday?"_ Juliette shot Kiawe a short, nervous glance before staring down at the open, blank notebook that sat on her desk. Her mind was as empty as the new notebook itself. She could practically feel her classmates gazes and that made things worse, especially with those two troublemakers scrutinizing her as well.

"Well?" Kukui smiled in an attempt to not make his new student feel pressured. However, this gesture was futile.

"Uhm, they never told us about Z-Moves where I come from. But I heard they are very powerful and…" Juliette looked at Kiawe out of the corner of her eye, trying to remember their conversation on the subject from the previous day. Luckily for her, it didn't take long until it came to her. "Ah! They also require the Trainer and their Pokémon to synchronize their wishes, I think."

"Yeah! That's a real good explanation," Kukui nodded, "but that's just scratching the surface of what Z-Moves are. I'll give you all a brief explanation."

"Okay…?" Juliette said with a tiny voice, trying to ignore her classmates' continuous stares. _"Zut, is this really necessary?"_

"To sum it up as simple as possible, Z-Moves come from this energy called Z-Power, which is a really mysterious aura that surrounds both the Pokémon and their Trainer. As Juliette said, they can only be performed when the Trainer and the Pokémon synchronize their wishes. This energy is very powerful and after use, you and your Pokémon will be left exhausted, thus only letting you use this power once per battle."

 _"This does sound a lot like Mega Evolution."_ Juliette nodded and smiled faintly at Kukui's explanation. "Now I understand better. Thank you for the explanation."

Kukui smiled widely. "No problem! We're here to learn after all, right? 'Kay," he continued, "as I was saying before, not many Trainers think of combining Status Moves with Z-Moves. They're missing really good stuff! For example, we all know how the move Splash does nothing, right? What if I told y'all that, when combined with Z-Powers, this move raises your Pokémon's physical strength drastically?"

The classroom became a sea of baffled faces accompanied by the sound of the students' confused murmurs. "But how is that possible?" Lana asked.

"Sadly, since Z-Powers are such a mysterious thing, there's not much of an explanation to that phenomenon as of today. But maybe someday we'll get an answer," Kukui said. "But that's not all! When Status Moves are upgraded into Z-Moves, they still keep their original effect. If you were to use, let's say Toxic, as a Z-Move, your Pokémon will improve its endurance _and_ poison its foe! Status and Z-moves are fascinating, oh yeah!"

"They sure are!" Luana expressed her excitement out loud. Students laughed at her outburst but also and agreed with the statement.

Juliette wrote down Kukui's observations as fast as she could. _"Z-Moves are so curious! They almost sound too good to be true. Maybe one day I'll get to see them in action."_

The last class of the day finished with Kukui asking questions about the lesson to all of the students. Everyone—except Telford and Chaos, who were doing their own thing throughout the whole class—was able to give correct answers, even Juliette. She had been paying close attention to all the classes, but Kukui's class has her hooked. She wasn't sure if it was because of the subject or because of the way the teacher explained things, but she was pretty entertained nonetheless. Oak's classes were nice in her eyes, too. Juliette couldn't wait to tell her family all about it and luckily for her, that would be happening in no time. It was already time to leave.

Juliette left the school escorted by Luana, Hau and Kiawe. They insisted on going with her and she couldn't dare to say no, it was too nice of them. She always left school alone—except on the days her bullies waited for her at the exit—so this was new to her. The quartet was strolling through the courtyard, getting closer to the gate bit by bit.

"I wonder why Lana and Mallow weren't with us during recess," Luana pouted. "You should totally meet them, Juliette. They're super nice!"

"Yes, they're very good friends of ours," Kiawe said.

Juliette remained quiet for a bit, not knowing what to say. "They did seem nice during class," she replied.

Suddenly Hau stopped cold in his tracks. "Hold on, what are those two doing?"

Telford and Chaos were cornering Sophocles, not allowing him to go anywhere. It was hard to hear what they were saying but going by Sophocles' expression, it was nothing nice. He tried to walk away from them, but the two pushed him back periodically.

Juliette's heart sank at the sight. She had been in Sophocles' shoes so many times before and just like him, she didn't know what to do to fend off those awful people. She hated how no one would ever do anything to help her or make them stop and without really knowing how, now she was the one watching the bashing happen without knowing how to make it stop. Her companions—and anyone else in the courtyard, for that matter—didn't intervene either and although their faces made it clear that they disapproved what was happening, their passivity ticked Juliette off.

"Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?" Juliette snapped inadvertently. She then covered her mouth and lowered her gaze.

"Poor Sophocles doesn't deserve that," Luana sighed. "Those two are always picking on others. If it wasn't for them, this school would be the perfect place to be."

"Unfortunately there's rotten apples everywhere," Kiawe added.

As they were speaking, Chaos put his leg in front of Sophocles while Telford, who was right behind the latter, pushed the boy without warning, making him fall flat on his face. The duo started laughing noisily, a laugh that drilled the ears of those who were listening. Especially Juliette, whose feelings of guilt were growing with each passing second. She pursed her lips together afraid to say something that could get her in trouble, although at the same time she wanted to defend her classmate. She hated the contradiction heavily.

Chaos was the one who cackled the most vocally. He was now grabbing Sophocles by the collar of his shirt, screaming into his face, " _Why won't you do anything? Is the fat blocking your neurons?_ "

"Hmph, be careful with what you say." A new voice that appeared out of the blue spoke. "Didn't you know the brain is made out of a sixty percent of fat? That means we all have our brains obstructed by fat. Now leave the kid alone."

To Juliette's surprise, Luana began squealing happily as she ran towards the newcomer, who looked no better than Telford and Chaos. His pale skin contrasted against his mostly black attire. His clothes had a few tears here and there, namely on the chest and his long black sleeves. _"W-why is Luana so happy to see him? He looks like someone who wouldn't hesitate to get in a fight. Actually the question here is...why did he defend Sophocles? With those looks, I'm sure he is a bully too."_

"Gladion!" Telford and Chaos chorused, instantly leaving Sophocles alone. "We weren't doing anything, we were just having a small talk. Right, Soffy?" Chaos feigned a smile, patting Sophocles' back harshly.

"Whatever." Gladion walked away from them without making eye contact. He didn't notice Luana coming towards him with her arms wide open either. "Now, where could my sister be?"

"I'm sure she will be there in no time! She might be talking to Kukui right now." Luana answered, wrapping her arms around Gladion's neck. He did not return her hug and instead patted her arms a few times.

As Luana started a conversation with Gladion, Juliette looked over at Sophocles. Telford and Chaos were nowhere to be seen and now he was all alone. She wanted to approach him and ask if he was alright but part of her hesitated. _"What if he gets mad at me for not intervening?"_ Juliette looked around her. Kiawe was immersed in a conversation with Hau. _"I guess it won't hurt to try, would it?"_

She approached Sophocles with slow, hesitating steps. He was sitting under a small tree near the fence with his hands on either side of his face, elbows resting on his knees. "I'm so bad at this…" Juliette murmured, "Sophocles, are you...okay?"

"I'll be fine. It doesn't happen that often," he said with resignation.

The girl sighed. "But it's still not right! Aren't the teachers doing anything about it?"

"No, I never tell them anything. Those two said that if I ever snitched to Oak it would get worse."

"They threaten him on top of it…" The girl talked to herself again.

"People here in Alola don't normally get into fights. I guess that's why nobody intervenes. Plus they could get in trouble," Sophocles shrugged.

Juliette felt her hands tremble ever so slightly. "Why don't those two get in trouble then?"

"I have no idea…"

Their conversation was interrupted by Luana's voice beckoning them. Lillie was now with them, so Juliette assumed that Luana wanted them to introduce each other. Plus the end of their conversation was for the best; she was getting worked up over it. She hated seeing others go through the same torment as her and on top of that, it was likely that Telford and Chaos would start picking on her too sooner or later. _"I just can't outrun it. It's impossible."_

"Juliette, this is my good friend Gladion," Luana beamed, guestering her arm towards him before directing it to Lillie, "and this is his sister, Lillie!"

Juliette tried to contain a surprised exclamation. _"Really? Those two are siblings? They're like night and day, like sun and moon!"_ She blinked rapidly as if to recover from the unexpected revelation. "Alola! My name is Juliette. Nice to, uh, meet you both!"

"She came from Kalos not too long ago. Today was her first day here!" Luana told Gladion, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I knew you weren't from here as soon as I saw you. Nice to meet you too." Gladion reached out his hand confidently for a handshake, but Juliette didn't trust him.

 _"How did he know that only by seeing me? Is it that evident?"_ She reached out her hand like someone being forced to touch fire. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she weakly shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Juliette. I'm _looking_ forward to talk to you more!" Lillie's voice became higher in pitch for a moment as she clung her bag firmly but gently.

"M-Me too!" Juliette answered. _"I wonder what's going on with that bag. But I won't say anything, I don't want to bother her."_

A light silence fell upon the group since Juliette didn't know what else to say. Strange behavior aside, Lillie did seem nice and although Gladion made her uncomfortable, deep down Juliette thought that maybe he wasn't so bad, considering Luana seemed to be quite attached to him. While they all dwelled in the silence, a car horn could be heard. When Juliette looked up and saw the car, she felt a rush of joy.

She smiled sheepishly at the group and said, "My Dad and Grandma are here! I have to go now."

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" Kiawe waved goodbye. The rest of the group said similar goodbyes, making Juliette smile.

 _"Its been years since the last time classmates were so friendly to me. I hope this isn't just a flash in the pan."_ She returned the gesture, waving back at them before walking towards the gate.

As soon as she made it to the car, Juliette opened the door and sat next to her grandmother. An overwhelming feeling of safety rushed through her as she settled into the seat.

"Well?" Mainard asked with expectation.

Édith's eyes sparkled in anticipation and she nearly shouted, "Tell us! How did it go? Did you like the new school?"

"It was...good," Juliette nodded inadvertently. She decided to omit Telford and Chaos in fear that her father and grandmother would feel discouraged. "The people here have been nice so far and guess what? Luana and Kiawe are in my class!"

"That's great news!" Mainard exclaimed. "With Kiawe and Luana there I'm sure you will adapt in no time."

The girl shrugged, eyeing her new school out of the corner of her eye. "Let's hope so."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: An invitation**

I _can't believe it's Friday already!_ Juliette told herself with a faint smile as she walked out of the school's building into the crowded campus. Cheerful chatter from lingering groups of students in the courtyard drowned out any other possible sounds Juliette could possibly pick up. She couldn't fathom why any student would stick around after the final bell rang, much less on a Friday. However, that wasn't the only thing that went beyond her comprehension.

Her first week as a student in Alola went smoothly as far as social interactions were concerned, mostly because she still had no trouble with anyone. Kiawe and Luana's presence in class made things easier for Juliette, considering she was familiar with them already. Despite the small familiarity, she was still iffy to the idea of approaching them by herself. She had much more trouble talking to the rest of her classmates and would only do so if they addressed to her first. _At least it's a small progress,_ she'd think every time it happened.

The only ones Juliette couldn't bring herself to like even a little bit were Telford and Chaos. Every waking moment around the two brought fear into her, thinking that they would start picking on her at any given time. Sometimes these thoughts would distract her in class because she can't stop thinking about everything that could possibly happen to her if she rubbed them the wrong way. In a matter of days, Juliette noticed that Chaos was the most dangerous one out of the two. He had a very short fuse, just as he presented on Juliette's very first day. They were the only thing that kept her from being able to say—for the first time ever—that she wasn't afraid of going to school.

As Juliette made her way towards the exit, she couldn't help but notice that her father's car was nowhere to be seen. It was normal for him and Édith to arrive a few minutes after the bell rang, but Juliette wished they would be punctual so they could make it home as soon as possible. She had a set plan for the afternoon: relax in her bedroom, listen to music, and possibly doddle whatever comes to mind in her sketchbook. However, for better or for worse, her plans were about to change drastically.

"Hey there, Juliette!" an already familiar voice called for her. It was Luana. She was accompanied by Kiawe.

"Hey," she greeted back. The girl tried not to sound dismissive as she replied, "How are you?"

"I'm fine! How about you?" Luana's signature smile brightened up her face as she spoke.

"I'm doing well, I guess. I'm just happy it's Friday already…" Juliette muttered the second half of the sentence, making sure both Kiawe and Luana didn't hear her.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Kiawe joined the conversation. His question was aimed at Juliette, who didn't know what to answer with.

"Plans? Uh, I don't really have anything in mind, no." Juliette smiled sheepishly. She hated to admit it, but she almost never had anything noteworthy to do. Staying in her bedroom for most of the day didn't sound like something worth mentioning to her.

Luana shook her head and grinned confidently before saying, "How about we change that?"

"What do you mean?" The other girl tilted her head ever so slightly to the left.

"Well—, I was wondering if you could come over to my house! I've been thinking about it throughout the week and every time it crossed my mind I get so excited! You could even spend the weekend with me!" Luana's smile grew even larger, scaring Juliette for a moment.

"Wait what? Are you really inviting me over to your house?"

"Of course! I could show you Hau'oli City as well while we're at it. What do you think?" Luana shot a Rockruff eyed look at Juliette.

She was at a loss for words. "You see, I-I'd have to ask my father and grandmother first. They should be here already…" Juliette turned around in hopes to see the family car, but it still was missing in action.

"I don't think they'll quibble about it. They're pretty cool!" Luana exclaimed.

 _That's something I can't deny!_ Juliette chuckled to herself.

"Besides, I could always talk to them," Kiawe said, "However, I can't stay the night. I might visit tomorrow if I get the chance."

This time Luana addressed Kiawe. "Don't worry, Kiawe! You know you're always welcome."

A few minutes went by and the conversation grew more trivial. It helped Juliette relax. However, just as she was starting to feel at ease, the familiar sound of a car horn startled her. Juliette turned around and as she suspected, the noise came from her father's car. _About time!_ She told Luana and Kiawe to wait a minute and approached the vehicle as fast as lightning, sporting a relieved smile.

"Sorry for the delay! The road was a bit busy. You can clearly tell it's Friday," Mainard apologized.

"I lost count how many cars had surfboards on their luggage-racks on the way here," Édith said. "Well, are you excited for the weekend, Julie?" The woman reached for the car's door in order to let her granddaughter in, but Juliette stopped her.

"I have to say something first," Juliette began, scratching the back of her head. "Luana just invited me to her house to spend the weekend and I was wondering if you and Dad would be alright with that."

Silence enveloped the family. Mainard and Édith's eyes were wide open and their faces were locked in an unreadable expression for a few seconds until the former finally broke the silence.

"Did you just say that one of your new friends invited you to spend the weekend over at her house? That's...fantastic!"

"Of course we're alright with that! That's great news, Juliette." For a moment, it almost looked like Édith would burst into tears of joy.

 _They're more excited about it than I am. It's so endearing._ The teen looked at them affectionately before speaking again, "Kiawe will be there with us for a bit, but he won't be able to stay over for long."

"Understandable. He must be busy with his farm duties, after all." Édith craned her neck, realizing that her granddaughter's classmates were standing just a few meters away. "Why don't you invite them to carpool with us? You'll have to pack up a few things, right?"

Juliette nodded and turned around to motion for Luana and Kiawe to come their way, but she changed her mind at the last second. "Wait, what would Mom say about it? I won't be there when she comes home. Shouldn't I ask her too?"

Mainard answered, "Don't worry Juliette, your Grandma and I will tell her. I'm sure she'll be happy about it too."

"Alright then..." With a sigh of relief, Juliette waved at the duo. They soon made their way to the car.

Édith opened the door next to her and left the vehicle. "I'll sit in the copilot's seat so you can be with your friends in the back!"

"Thanks, I guess..." Juliette muttered the last half of her sentence.

Juliette sat in the middle seat while Luana sat to her left and Kiawe to her right. There she was; sitting in between the two individuals that her father and grandmother already celebrated as her friends. Unlike them, Juliette thought it was too soon to call them that. She was afraid of things turning ugly like the many times in the past when people would pretend to be her friend for a little while, only for them to reveal their true colors in the end.

In spite of that, Luana and Kiawe didn't give those vibes and she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. To her, they seemed genuinely nice. _I don't think Luana would invite me to spend the weekend with her as a joke... At least I don't think she'd do that._

* * *

Packing up her belongings didn't take long for Juliette. She only grabbed the basics for a two day stay away from home. However, she did pack her sketchbook in case she managed to get enough alone time to sketch something. Although with Luana being her host, gaining time to herself will be very complicated.

The group had just arrived to Heahea City's ferry terminal. During the car ride on the way there, Luana informed Juliette that they will be taking Lillie's boat to reach Melemele Island. _I definitely wasn't wrong. Lillie sure is rich,_ Juliette told herself after hearing that bit of information. Not only she was being invited to spend the weekend in someone else's house, now she was about to ride on a classmate's private ship. _I can't think of a more extraordinary way to spend this Friday._

"Just call us if you need anything. But above all, have fun with your friends!" Édith spoke to Juliette excitedly after she, Kiawe, and Luana left the car.

"What your grandmother said. Don't worry about anything and have a good time!" Mainard looked at his daughter with fondness. This will be the first time Juliette spent more than a few hours away from home and that made it a big event.

"Alright," Juliette answered, "Please tell Mom to call me or send me a message when she gets home…and take care while I'm out."

"Oh Juliette, what did I just say? You don't need to worry! Just enjoy the weekend ahead of you, _d'accord?"_

" _D'accord..._ "

"Oh how I miss sleepovers!" Édith beamed. "When I was your age I participated in them all the time…"

"Grandma…!" Her granddaughter contained a nervous laugh. "We must go now. I'll send a message as soon as we are at Luana's."

"Okay. Be careful in the boat, you all!" Mainard waved goodbye as he spoke. Édith copied the gesture, albeit in a significantly more frantic way.

"We will! Thank you for allowing me to invite Juliette over," Luana thanked the two adults. "I promise she will be cared for." Luana bowed her head in respect.

"Oh, what a courteous girl! We're sure she will. Now go!" Édith encouraged the three teens with a smile.

"Goodbye!" The trio waved goodbye at Mainard and Édith as they approached the terminal's door.

Édith and Mainard watched as Juliette and her group crossed the automatic doors that led them into the building. Now there was no turning back, for better or for worse.

"Do you think she will be alright?" Mainard clutched the steering wheel rather tightly, eyeing his mother from the corner of his eye.

"Son, I understand how you feel. It's her first sleepover, after all. But I can tell Luana is a good person. She won't hurt her." Édith peered at the ferry terminal with a slight smile and then looked back at her son. "How about we go home and prepare ourselves some crêpes?" Mainard stared onward with a saddened, blank look on his face, as if he was in deep thought. After a few moments and a sigh, he slightly smiled.

"That sounds like a plan. Let's go!" Having said this, Mainard started the engine in the blink of an eye. Now the two adults were on their way back home; this time without Juliette.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned was still processing the situation she ended up in. _This is really happening, huh?_ When the trio entered the building, they found Lillie, Gladion and Hau. The former was currently talking to the ticket agent; identifying herself so she can grant them access to where the ships were docked. As for Gladion and Hau, Luana called them during the trip to Paniola Town and informed them that she will be bringing some friends along with her on the trip to Melemele Island and to wait for them.

"Alright, everything's in order! You may pass," The ticket agent said as he deactivated the barrier for a moment so Lillie and her friends could walk through it.

"Thank you very much," the blonde girl thanked with a slight bow.

"No problem." The agent closed the barrier again, waiting for the next passengers.

As soon as the group left the gateway behind, they found themselves outside of the building and in front of a large pier of boats. There were many kinds: humble little sailboats, a couple of very colorful banana boats, a friendship sloop, and a couple of yachts. But the most spectacular boat of them all, without a doubt, was a big ferry located in the farthest part of the dock. A long line of people waited to board it.

"That's the biggest boat I've ever seen…" Juliette marveled in a low voice.

"Yes. That ferry transports people and Pokémon between the different islands in this region," Kiawe explained as he took a few steps forward, getting a better look at the ship.

"Oh you heard me?" Juliette chuckled nervously. "I guess many move in between islands everyday, at least going by how many people are waiting to get in the ferry."

"You're not wrong. Many people go to a different island often either because of their jobs, the Island Challenge, or simply because of leisure."

"I see…" Juliette smiled sheepishly.

"That's our boat over there," Gladion made himself heard out of the blue, pointing at one of the yachts. "Why don't we just get on it already?"

"Oh Gladion, don't be so impatient!" Luana scolded him playfully. "Won't you let Juliette take in the view of the harbor? The weather today is so sweet!"

"It's okay, I think I've seen enough!" Juliette's nervous chuckle made an appearance again. She actually agreed with Gladion. Why couldn't they just go to Melemele already?

On the other hand, Juliette admitted to herself that Luana was right. She had never been to a place like this and it was indeed a beautiful view. The girl had before her eyes the bluest sea she had ever seen; it was calm but the breeze raised tiny waves that rocked the smaller boats from time to time. Flocks of Wingull and Pelipper flew across the completely clear sky every now and then. It was like being inside a postcard.

"Let's get going then," Lillie said clutching her bag tightly. "If my brother and I don't get home soon, Hobbes might get worried."

 _Watch Hobbes be their butler. They were born with silver spoons in their mouths!_

Juliette followed her companions quietly as they all made their way to the yacht that belonged to Lillie and Gladion's family. She prefered to be the last one to embark; watching how Luana and the others climbed a few steps to access the boat. Now they were all on the deck, which was quite wide. Even after seeing them make it safely, Juliette hesitated a bit because of how the ship rocked from time to time. _What if I try to climb the steps at the wrong time and I fall into the water? I'd be their laughing stock for quite a long time._

Luana leaned on the rail. "Do you need help, Juliette?"

"Are you okay?" Hau joined.

"Y-yes and no, I don't need help! I'm okay!" Juliette took a deep breath and stared at the white steps. Partly thanks to the pressure of knowing they all were waiting on her and her wish of being over with that as soon as possible, the girl finally climbed up the stairs...albeit with hesitation.

"Awesome, you're finally there!" Luana held her hands and shook them excitedly.

"Yeah, great…!" Juliette kept her hands stiff. All she wanted was to be swallowed by the yacht's floor, especially after hearing the hearty chuckles of other people on the boat.

"Now that all of us are here, I'm going to let the pilot know." Lillie disappeared into the cabin and reappeared about twenty seconds later. "Alright, everything is ready!"

"Should we hold onto something before the boat starts sailing?" Juliette's question earned her more amused laughs from her schoolmates. Needless to say, that didn't settle well for her.

Lillie smiled kindly. "It's not necessary, but we can go into the cabin if you want to."

"I don't want to bother anyone…"

"Come on Juliette, don't be so hard on yourself," Kiawe comforted her. "It's the first time you've ridden on a boat before so it's understandable for you to feel unsure. I was like that the first time I rode one, too."

"Kiawe is right, don't worry about it. We're here to have a good time!" Luana wrapped her arms around Juliette's shoulders and led her into the cabin. The others followed them shortly after. Just as they entered the cabin, the boat finally departed. _Huh… It's not as bad as I imagined!_

However, Juliette did hold back an exclamation upon seeing the interior of the boat: The walls were paneled with shiny, white wood that appeared to be expensive; white ceramic tiles of the same color lined the floor, so shiny that it emitted reflections; and white furniture such as loveseats and armchairs were placed in all corners of the cabin. The only color that stood out from the rest was a pink blanket that was folded neatly on one of the couches along a window.

"If you're wondering why everything is so white," Gladion started as he approached Juliette from behind, scaring the living daylight out of her, "it's because this ship was lent to me and my sister by the Aether Foundation."

"The Aether Foundation?"

"The Aether Foundation is awesome!" Hau chimed in. "They take in injured wild Pokemon and raise them in captivity before they're fully recovered and can be released. Although sometimes I do wonder why they decided to set up a branch in Alola…"

"Here in Alola, our installations are on a floating island. Maybe we could go there someday if Mother agrees." After mentioning her mother, Lillie had a sad smile on her face.

" _Our?_ Are you and Gladion a part of the Foundation?" Juliette asked. Luana popped up next to her without warning, startling Juliette once more.

"You see, Lillie and Gladion are the children of the Aether Foundation's President! She's a very friendly woman and despite all the work she has to do, she's always looking out for her children. Really admirable. Not only that, she is also super pretty!"

"So she finds time to look out for her children despite how time-consuming her job is. Lillie and Gladion are so lucky…" Juliette glanced at Gladion and Lillie, but looked away immediately after catching a glimpse of the former's expression.

"She's definitely there with us all the time, yes," Gladion grumbled bitterly.

"How about I get everyone something to drink?" Lillie was quick to change the subject. "Maybe some lemonade?"

"Sounds good to me! I know whatever you bring will be great," Hau praised her as he made himself comfortable on one of the couches.

Juliette mimicked Hau and sat down on a seperate couch; the same one with the pink blanket on its back. She specifically chose this couch just so she can avoid making eye contact with anyone. Little did she know, Luana had a different idea in mind. The girl sat down next to Juliette with an eager look in her eyes.

"Say Juliette, this talk about the Aether Foundation made me curious. What does your family do for a living?"

Juliette scratched the back of her head and sighed. "It's not something too extraordinary compared to what Lillie and Gladion's mother does, just saying."

"Neither is working in a café, but it's still entertaining!" Luana smiled, shrugging.

"Alright…" She pondered for a second before speaking rather quickly. "My Grandmother says she's retired, even though she's still not old enough. However, she worked at a library when she was young. My Father has been a housekeeper for as long as I can remember. As for my Mother, she is an specialist in internal medicine for Pokémon."

"Wait, could you go a bit slower?"

"Oh, okay… I said that my Grandmother claims she is retired despite being too young to do so and that she worked at a library when she was young," Juliette repeated herself, this time at a much slower speed. Her rapid speaking was stemmed from wanting to be finished with explaining as soon as possible.

"What else?" Luana encouraged her to continue.

"My Father has always been a housekeeper and my Mother is an specialist in internal medicine for Pokémon."

Luana clasped her hands together and grinned widely. "That's actually really cool! I'm assuming your Grandma was a librarian in Kalos, right? She must have seen lots of interesting books!"

"Trust me, she did. She has always loved to read, but she doesn't do it as much nowadays." Juliette sighed.

"That's normal. Sometimes our interests shift over time."

Before the conversation pressed any further, the two girls spotted Lillie returning holding a tray with six glasses of lemonade. She approached everyone so they could each grab one glass until only Lillie's remained. Lillie placed the tray down on a white glass coffee table before sitting herself down next to Hau, after spotting him tapping the seat next to him frantically. Everyone sat around each other on the couches and socialized; all except for Gladion, who preferred staying on the deck and was simply leaning on the railing out on deck; staring out to the sea. Juliette observed him while taking a sip of her lemonade. _And people call me the antisocial one..._

* * *

In less than twenty minutes, the yacht ride came to an end. Juliette was convinced that reaching Melemele Island would take longer, given that it was a whole different island, despite belonging to the same region. _It's not like Melemele Island is on the other side of the world... Besides, that yacht was rather fast!_

The group took their first steps into Hau'oli City after leaving the ferry terminal, which was nearly identical to the one in Heahea City. However, the cities themselves had substantial differences that could be noticed at first sight.

While Heahea City is mostly focused on tourism with its various hotels and resorts, Hau'oli City appeared to offer even more. The first thing that caught Juliette's attention was the presence of a police station. She didn't recall seeing any of them in Akala. Next to it was a very colorful building. A Machamp with a publicitary sign hanging from its neck waved at the people walking along the street. Curious, Juliette was about to ask Luana what it was about, but the latter took the initiative with a different subject.

"Juliette, did you know Hau'oli City is the biggest city in the Alola region? Think Lumiose City, but not as convoluted," Luana explained as she gestured towards their surroundings.

Juliette took a quick glance around her. "Yes, I can tell! Imagine how easy it would be for someone to get lost there."

"If only you knew how often I had to help Lillie find her way around when she first came here!" Hau said. He noticed Lillie giving him a look and was quick to continue. "But it's not like it bothered me or anything," he added with a smile. Lillie smiled at him in return.

"It's true. I get lost easily, so getting around this city was a bit of a trouble for me." Lillie bowed her head. Her sun hat almost covered her face completely.

"Hey Juliette," Hau shifted his attention to her, "speaking of getting around, did you get to visit any of the Trial Sites in Akala yet?"

"Trial Sites? They are associated with the Island Challenge, right?"

"Exactly," Kiawe intervened. "In Akala there's three Trial Sites. They are located in Brooklet Hill, Wela Volcano Park, and Lush Jungle."

"The names do sound kind of imposing, to be honest."

"Juliette, did you know that Kiawe's grandfather is a Trial Captain?" Luana said loudly as she playfully poked the aforementioned.

Juliette raised an eyebrow and looked at them in silence for a moment. "Are you two trying to fool me?" She sounded more serious than she intended, earning her a confused look from Luana and Kiawe.

"No, why would we do such thing?" Kiawe inquired. "In fact, the day you and your family came for dinner, my Grandfather was absent because he was tending to his duties as a Captain."

"Oh, I see." As they walked, Juliette lowered her gaze in shame. "I'm sorry if I sounded like I was doubting you both. It's just that people told me wild stories and facts in the past to see if I fell for them or not."

"It's fine. I see what you mean," Kiawe reassured her.

Luana put a gentle hand on Juliette's shoulder. "You don't need to worry, we would never play that kind of trick on you."

"However," Hau chimed in after some time walking–under Gladion's watchful eye–alongside Lillie, "Lana loves to lie about having seen cool things, but she doesn't do it with malice."

"I see…" Juliette nodded at him and then turned her attention back to the city in front of her.

The police station and the flashy building had been left behind a while ago. Now they were walking past various kind of shops. One of them in particular caught Hau's attention powerfully.

"It's Hau'oli City's best Malasada Shop! Can we go in?" He gave both Lillie and Luana a Rockruff-eyed look, but to no avail.

"How about we go there tomorrow for lunch? I think Juliette will love it," The latter said with a big grin.

"I would love to go but…" Lillie looked over at Gladion. "My brother and I should be heading home now."

"Aww man! Maybe another time," Hau said with a slight shrug.

"I guess this is goodbye for now. We'll see each other another day." Without further ado, Gladion turned around and began to walk away. Lillie looked at him and then at the group. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she opted for just following her brother.

However, Luana wouldn't let them leave like that. "Hey Gladion! At least let me say goodbye to you two properly." She approached the siblings and gave a hug and a kiss on each cheek to the two of them. Then Luana went back to the group, "See you soon!"

The four of them watched Gladion and Lillie go, waving goodbye at them as the duo returned the gesture. When the siblings were far away from them, the bunch resumed their walk towards Luana's house. Juliette observed how they were approaching a neighbourhood with expensive looking houses and cocked an eyebrow, wondering if Luana lived in one of these houses or not. _Wait, is Luana rich too? This can't be Gladion and Lillie's neighbourhood. They left in the opposite direction. Whatever, I just want to sit somewhere and hopefully be able to let my guard down..._

Luana was now engaged in a lively conversation with both Hau and Kiawe about Mantine Surf. Juliette limited herself to listen, her head hanging low and walking a few steps behind them. _They're having so much fun. I wish I could join their conversation, but what am I going to contribute? I have no idea how Mantine Surf works and I might just end up making myself look stupid. Why do I have to be so boring? They probably wouldn't care about the one thing I could spend the whole day talking about. Why can't I—_

"Here we are!" Luana's enthusiastic voice made Juliette snap out of her thoughts. As she had imagined, Luana's house looked like it escaped from a magazine.

The first thing that caught Juliette's attention was the light blue color of the panelling. If it wasn't because of the dark brown roof and the trees that seemed to peek from behind the construction, it could very well camouflage with the color of the sky. The house was surrounded by a white and light blue banister with short iron spindles on the top. It was clear that whoever was in charge of designing the house had excellent taste.

"Lua, I'm sorry to spoil the moment but I have to leave now. My Tutu is waiting for me," Hau said with an apologetic smile.

"Aww really? I hoped you could maybe stay with us for dinner," Luana pouted.

"Don't worry, maybe I can come by later!"

"Good! Please do not hesitate to come over. If you can, of course." Luana hugged her friend briefly yet tightly. "See you!"

"Bye Lua! Bye guys!" Hau said before departing from the group. Now it was just Juliette, Luana, and Kiawe.

"By the way Luana, I don't think I will be staying for long either," the latter announced. "Although I'd love to."

"Don't sweat it! Do what you need to." Luana put her arm around Kiawe's shoulders and then looked back at Juliette. "Let's go inside!"

As they approached the house further, Juliette caught sight of a well-cared for porch. _Why can't the new house have one of these? Almost everyone else in Paniola Town has a porch._ A cozy-looking light blue and white loveseat swing-set contrasted with the dark wood paneling of the floor.

Luana opened the door to her house. The living room and dining room could be spotted right away. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!" The trio led by Luana entered the house, which was silent. The girl gently closed the main door. "Maybe they aren't home right now…" Luana then turned her attention to Juliette sporting an hospitable smile. "Would you like a tour of the house, Juliette?"

Juliette was busy typing up a message for her grandmother like she said she would do, but she still made sure to answer to Luana's proposal. "Uh...I mean, sure. Go ahead!"

"Perfect! Let's start with the living room."

Again, Juliette was impressed by what she was seeing, especially because of the plasma screen TV, which sat above the entertainment center in the living room. But the plant pots themed after the Bulbasaur line that sat on either side of the entertainment center managed to briefly put a smile on her face. She even felt like letting Poppy out to see her reaction to them. Of course, she wanted to do the same with Halbert. _But would Luana agree to that?_

"Luana, can I release my Pokémon here?" she asked, not looking into the girl's eyes.

"But of course! Besides, I think they'll love hanging out in the backyard. We'll go there later."

"Thank you!" Juliette quickly retrieved Halbert and Poppy's Pokéballs from her bag. "You see, I spotted those plant pots next to the entertainment center and I thought that Poppy might like them."

"Because the patterns are based on the Bulbasaur line? That's cute! I'm sure she'll love them." Luana smiled.

As soon as Juliette released her Pokémon, Halbert and Poppy examined their surroundings with wide open eyes. The former silently walked around the living room area, careful not to alter anything. As for Poppy, like Juliette imagined, her attention was immediately drawn to the plant pots. The Bulbasaur squealed in glee upon recognizing the patterns on the vases. Juliette smiled at the sight and approached Poppy to pet her head.

"Your Bulbasaur is beyond ecstatic!" Kiawe said with a chuckle.

Luana clasped her hands over her chest. "Aww, look at her! What a happy girl."

"Maybe she is just happy to see her kind receive some love," Juliette murmured, now looking at the plant pots closely. The silhouettes of Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Venusaur were graciously represented on top of a light green background. After that, Juliette's relaxed mood was suddenly broken by her own thoughts, _What if Poppy accidentally breaks something? Luana would be so angry at me… Maybe Halbert and Poppy should go to the backyard. Although Halbert is being pretty careful..._

"Is everything alright?" Luana asked, noticing Juliette's thoughtful stance.

"I was just thinking…maybe it would be for the best if Halbert and Poppy went outside just in case they break something on accident."

"I see. I'll open the door to the backyard." Luana walked over to a door on the side of the living area and opened it. Juliette caught a glimpse of lush vegetation in the backyard from were she was standing.

"Halbert, Poppy, go out there." She gestured towards the door Luana opened. Halbert swiftly hopped towards the door, but Poppy hesitated a bit. That was only until she heard several Pokémon cries. Then she reached for the door almost as fast as her friend did. "Are there any large Pokémon out there?" Juliette furrowed her brows as Luana closed the door.

"There's quite a few out there, yes. But don't worry, they would never hurt anyone. Halbert and Poppy are safe." She smiled reassuringly. "Now, how about we continue with the tour?"

* * *

The tour around the house left Juliette even more impressed; each and every one of the rooms in Luana's house were exquisitely decorated. Some of the rooms, like the kitchen, had elements inspired by Kalos that stimulated Juliette's nostalgic side. She wasn't ashamed to admit to herself that she felt nostalgia over a region she left only thirteen days ago. However, besides those melancholic feelings, something else occupied Juliette's mind while Luana—along with Kiawe—showed her what her house was like. In those thirteen days, two of her classmates had already invited her to their respective houses, even if one of them did so before she knew they went to the same school. _While this is normal for nearly every other person my age, it feels so unusual to me. I wonder if I will come here more often in the future..._

Now the three of them were in the living room again. "Without further ado, it's time to show you the backyard!" Luana opened the backyard door. She waited until Juliette and Kiawe went outside before doing the same herself and closing the door behind her.

One of the first things that stood out in the backyard were the lush trees that surrounded it and the shed near the back of the yard, where several Pokémon rested in the shade. When Juliette looked in the direction of said shed, she soon noticed Halbert and Poppy happily running towards her.

"Looks like they missed me!" Juliette was unable to contain her smile as she hugged both of her Pokémon.

"Your Pokémon are very loyal to you, I see. That's so cute!" A voice unknown to her resonated.

Luana quickly turned towards the owner of the voice. "Mama!"

A tall and slender woman accompanied by a Greninja stood closer to the house. Her black hair reached her shoulder blades and slightly puffed outwards. Her hair was also held back by a green and white bandana. Her side swept bangs ended right above her blue eyes, which stood out compared to her pale skin. She wore a long sleeved blouse in the same colors as the bandana, a white skirt, and white sandals. The woman hugged her daughter affectionately. "Say Lulu, did you make a new friend?" she inquired, discreetly glancing at Juliette.

"Yes! Let me introduce her to you." Luana beckoned for Juliette to approach, which she did so, albeit with a bit of hesitation. "Mama, this is Juliette. She came here with her family from Kalos not too long ago."

"Kalos, eh? My home region. _Enchantée,_ my name is Alisanne; Luana's mother." Alisanne greeted her young compatriot with a kiss on each cheek, a common thing in Kalos that Juliette never got used to.

 _"E-Enchantée!_ It's nice to meet more people from my home region," she answered bashfully.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Kiawe intervened, "but if I don't go now I might be late."

"You have to go to the supermarket already? It's fine. Just be careful on the way there, alright?" Alisanne approached him to say goodbye.

"Supermarket?" Juliette asked.

"Yeah. I have a part time job at the supermarket in Royal Avenue."

As Kiawe spoke, Luana gave him a goodbye hug. "You better come by tomorrow, then."

"I will, hopefully." After returning the hug Kiawe approached Juliette. "See you tomorrow."

 _What am I supposed to do now?_ Juliette pondered which would be the most appropriate way to say goodbye. She didn't feel a hug would be called for since she didn't know him as much as Luana did. She knew, however, that if she didn't act quickly Kiawe would be late to work and it would be her fault. "Yeah… See you tomorrow!" Demurely, Juliette hugged Kiawe like Luana did but in her case, the hug was short-lived. The touch of his bare skin felt awkward to her. _I hope this was right. Dieu, why do I have to be so weird when it comes to physical contact with people?_

Kiawe said goodbye to the three females and left. Alisanne noticed how Halbert was observing her Greninja with great respect. She also happened to notice the scar across his left eye.

"How did your Frogadier get that scar?" Alisanne asked as she crouched next to Halbert.

Juliette lowered her head, recalling how anxious she felt when Halbert got injured. "It was during a battle with a schoolmate's Garchomp back in Kalos. He didn't win that battle, but he did evolve and that made me very happy," she sighed, "but I'm even happier that the wound didn't affect him badly."

"Poor thing! Luckily he has a good Trainer by his side."

Juliette shook her head. "I wouldn't say I'm a good Trainer. We don't even battle that much anymore."

"But Juliette," Luana intervened, "being a good Trainer is not just centered around battling! It's also about how you take care of your Pokémon."

"Luana is right. As long as you take good care of your Pokémon, you can call yourself a good Trainer."

"By the way Mom," Luana addressed to her mother, "where's Dad?"

"Oh! He went shiny hunting. He'll be back later," Alisanne answered as she filled a bowl with Pokémon food. A Talonflame landed next to it shortly after and began feeding from it.

"I see." Luana then directed her attention towards Juliette. "Would you like me to show you my Pokémon? They probably snuck to the front yard."

"If you are up to it, sure!" Juliette nodded weakly.

"Great!" Luana turned around to face her mother. "Mom, if you need something don't hesitate to call for me."

"Don't worry Lulu, I'll be fine! Have fun with Juliette. I'm sure she will like to see your Pokémon."

"Alright. Let's get going, Juliette!" Luana held Juliette by the hand without warning. The girl almost lost her balance as she was nearly dragged across the property to the front yard.

To Juliette's relief, Luana let her hand go shortly after. It didn't take long for the duo to reach the front yard either. A somewhat large group of Pokémon were there to greet them. However, Juliette only recognized two of them: Luana's shiny Lycanroc, Pohaku; and the Vaporeon that she frequently brought along to school named Momi. Juliette kept her distance from the group; intimidated by a large, reptilian Pokémon covered in scaly armor.

Luana soon caught on to her fear. "There's no need to fear this boy!" She approached the Pokémon and scratched his chin. The creature was as happy as a Clamperl. "This is Alemana. He's a Kommo-o that has been with me for a long time."

"I see… When did you get him?" Juliette approached Luana and Alemana slowly while Poppy rushed to greet the other Pokémon followed by Halbert.

"It was when I reached the Dragon Trial. I really needed a Pokémon that could take out other Dragon types, but the only one that could do that wasn't too well." Juliette nodded, silently encouraging her to continue her story. "I searched for a Pokémon that I could use for the Trial for a while. Thanks to the information from my Pokédex, I caught a wild Hakamo-o—the previous evolutionary stage of Kommo-o. You see, I intended to have him only for the trial but when it was over and I tried to release him, he decided to stay with me instead. I won't lie; I'm glad he stayed!" Luana said scratching Alemana's chin once again.

"What happened to that other Pokémon you mentioned?" Juliette asked curiously.

"Come with me." Luana approached a beautiful white Pokémon that greatly resembled a Ninetales. "This is Kona, my Alolan Ninetales!"

"An Alolan variant, huh? I knew it reminded me of Ninetales!" Juliette looked in awe at the Ninetales, blown away by the immaculate whiteness of its fur.

"Isn't she pretty? I always wanted an Alolan Vulpix because of how cute they are! I spent a couple of days in a place called Tapu Village looking for one, but I had no luck. Can you guess what happened next?"

Juliette shrugged. "Uh… I don't know?"

"The day I decided to leave, it started to snow and when I was trying to to reach the next route, _surprise!_ I came across a Vulpix. Sadly she could barely walk since one of her legs was injured from an attack. I picked her up and rushed her to the Pokémon Center in the village. Nurse Joy did a great job and nursed her back to health, but a scar on her back left leg remained. You still can see it." Luana pointed at one of Kona's hind legs. "When we left, I asked for her to stay with me so I could protect her from being attacked again. Thankfully, she agreed." The girl threw her arms around the Alolan Ninetales who nuzzled her face in response.

"She is so beautiful! What about your other Pokémon? How did you get them?"

"Let's see… You already know Pohaku, but I never told you how I got Momi. I got her in Paniola Ranch. I went to visit the Daycare and the owner allowed me to pick up an Egg a Trainer never reclaimed. When she hatched into an Eevee, I was on cloud nine! I _love_ Eevee and all of its evolutions!" Luana then approached a different Pokémon. It was tall and avian-like. It wore a short and green hood made of leaves. "This one is Makani; my Decidueye. I got him from Hau's grandfather when I visited Iki Town."

Juliette whistled in surprise. "Are you saying that you got a Pokémon from the Kahuna himself? How lucky! I got mine from the Professor in Kalos…"

"Here in Alola it's a bit different. It's not rare for the island's Kahuna to be the one to give new Trainers their first Pokémon. Isn't that interesting?"

"It is interesting, indeed!" Juliette noticed Halbert having a staring contest with Makani. However, since it looked like there were no hostile intentions, she just left him be.

"After Makani," Luana continued with the introductions, "I got this girl here. She is an Alolan Raichu. Her name is Nanea! I got her as a Pichu in Route 1 as I made my way to Iki Town for a festival. Of course I caught her because she's super cute, aren't you, Nanea?!" Her Alolan Raichu shrilled in response and spun around them as she levitated in the air on her tail.

"A festival?" Juliette asked.

"Yes! It's a festival held every year to thank the guardian deities from each island for always watching over us. In fact, the next one will be happening in a couple of months. We could go together!"

 _A festival to thank the guardian deities? There's bound to be a lot of people there,_ Juliette thought. "I'm not a fan of big crowds, but I don't think going there will do any harm, haha."

"It's a beautiful Alolan tradition. I think you will like it!" Luana then glanced at her Pokémon and chuckled. "Look at my Salazzle!"

A thin dark grey Pokémon with markings resembling the suit of a gymnast was trying to get Alemana's attention by sitting close to him. Sadly, that wasn't working so far. "Doesn't it look like that one has a-"

"A crush! Yes," Luana interrupted Juliette. "That's Waka. I found her when she was in her previous evolutionary stage. When I was going to the site for the Fire Trial, she was being pursued and attacked by a group of Magmar. Imagine how scared the poor thing was! So I released all of my Pokémon and I fended off her attackers. Then I went on my way but when I finished the Trial, I found the same Salandit waiting for me. She ran to me and latched onto my legs! It was so cute I couldn't resist catching her!"

"All of the stories of how you got your Pokémon are so interesting," Juliette said with a hint of jealousy, wishing she would have such fascinating things to tell.

"Some of them are pretty incredible, yes." Suddenly, something went across Luana's mind. "Wait! I still need to show you another one!"

Luana left the yard for a moment, but returned shortly after with a large cat Pokémon that looked similar to a Persian. She was holding the creature in her arms.

"Let me guess, an Alolan Persian?" Juliette asked.

"Bingo! This is my pet Pokémon, Anu. I had him since I was seven."

"How did you get this one?" Juliette looked at the Pokémon, endeared by his chubbiness and the more than apparent fluffiness of his fur.

"I was going to the Pokémon School in Hau'oli City back then. One day when I was going back home from school an Alolan Meowth followed me home. When I was going to enter the house, the Meowth meowed from behind me on the doorstep. It wasn't until then that I noticed how hungry and skinny he was! Me being young, I let him in and fed him Pokémon food. I fell in love with how cute he was and I asked my parents if I could keep him. They said yes!"

"I wish Pokémon followed me home rather than classmates back when I was in Kalos," Juliette murmured, looking away from Luana and Anu. She then focused on their conversation again. "He does look well cared for now."

"Right? You can pet him if you want to; he is very meek," Luana said as she steadily approached Juliette; encouraging her to pet Anu.

Juliette was always reluctant to interact with Pokémon that were being held by their Trainers, in fear that they would snap at her for no reason. She knew some people disliked having their Pokémon touched by strangers. But this time, it was different. Juliette reached for the Persian's head and an exclamation of surprise escaped her.

"He is so soft and...fluffy?" She was somehow convinced that if she reacted too enthusiastically, she would come across as creepy. Because of that, instead of enjoying the present moment, Juliette began brooding over unrelated matters. _Everything I do can potentially push people away from me._

"Right? I always bathe him once a week and I make sure to brush his fur at least twice a day. Uh, Juliette?" Luana noticed the other girl looking like she was far away while petting her Alolan Persian. "Is everything alright?"

Juliette was slightly startled by Luana's voice. "Yes, it is! You brush Anu twice a day, right? I mean, that's a lot of fur to take care of." She forced out a laugh and mumbled, "I doubt I'm making any sense."

"Don't worry Juliette, you're right. Taking care of Pokémon with long fur takes more work than, let's say, taking care of Halbert and Poppy's skins." Luana put Anu down on the ground. As soon as he noticed the aforementioned Pokémon, he went to greet them.

"Well, look who it is." A new voice emerged. Both girls turned around in the direction of the front road.

"It's you!" Luana ran excitedly past the open gate and hugged the newcomer.

The individual Luana just greeted was a tall and slender boy around her age. He had tan skin and bright blue eyes. His pink hair was gathered in a small, low ponytail to his left. His clothes—a white shirt, a tan and brown vest on top, white pants, and moccasins that matched the vest's color scheme—denoted a high social status. He was accompanied by an Eevee and an Smeargle.

Juliette furrowed her brows. _"Who's the frat boy?"_

"Juliette! Come here!" Luana called for her. As soon as she had her closer, she started talking. "This is my friend Ilima. We went to the same school together when we were kids and we've been close friends ever since. Now he serves as a student teacher in the same school!"

"Alola!" Ilima greeted, "Your name is Juliette, correct?"

"Alola. Yes it is." As always, Juliette didn't know what else to say afterwards. Despite the fact that she could so easily introduce herself, she could not bring herself to do so.

Luckily for her, Luana did the honors for her. "She moved here from the Kalos region not too long ago. She also started school earlier this week!"

"Really now? I spent a couple of years in Kalos myself. I studied in Lumiose City. Which part of Kalos are you from?" he asked with a gentle demeanor.

Juliette's face lit up. Nearly everyone she has come across seemed to have some sort of past with Kalos and she was beginning to wonder if it was just coincidence or something more. "I'm from Anistar City. I was born and raised there."

"Anistar City is truly wonderful. I went there once with the intention of painting the Sundial. The same painting is now currently hung up in my home. Maybe I could show you someday?"

"A painting of the Anistar Sundial? That must be beautiful!" Juliette smiled brightly. "I must have drawn it myself a couple of times, but I don't think mine looks that good."

"You are an artist as well? Looks like we have a couple of things in common." Ilima's Eevee squealed happily, underlining his Trainer's words in a way.

"Wow Juliette, you never told me you like to draw!" Luana's eyes sparkled. "I'd love to see your drawings someday."

"I don't tend to tell many people," Juliette chuckled; slightly looking away from the duo.

"Oh by the way, Juliette," Luana put a hand on her shoulder and gestured towards Ilima, "Our friend here is not only a student teacher, but also a Trial Captain! He specializes in Normal types."

"I-Is that true?" Juliette automatically gave a couple of small steps back, intimidated by learning Ilima's role.

"Indeed it is. I hold my Trial in Verdant Cavern; located in Route 2. Not many are allowed to access the area."

"Really? Why is that?" Juliette asked.

"Only participants of the Island Challenge are allowed to access Trial Sites," Luana explained, "but there's exceptions, of course."

Ilima cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to say this, but I just looked at the hour and I need to leave right away. Although I would love to stick around for a bit more."

"Aww, what's with everyone having to leave today?" Luana pouted briefly. "It's alright. We can always meet some other day. Juliette will join us, of course!"

The alluded girl just nodded and smiled. _She could have asked first… Nevermind, Ilima actually looks like a good guy. Hanging out with them both should be nice._

"That sounds like a lovely plan." Ilima smiled. "I have to get going now. See you!"

"See you!" Juliette and Luana waved goodbye to Ilima and his Pokémon.

When the boy was far from them, Luana turned around to face Juliette. "How about we go inside and hang out in the living room? There's a good show starting soon."

"What is the show about?" Juliette asked as they began walking towards the house.

"It's called Toddlers and Ribbons. It's about preschool aged children who participate in Pokémon Contests. Although sometimes it's a bit saddening to watch, with how some of the participants react after losing and all."

"Aww, poor things. At least they get to do something they like, right?"

Luana shrugged. "People who dislike the show say they are there to accomplish their parents' unfulfilled dreams. I think that would be a cruel thing to do, but the children seem to be happy with what they do for the most part."

Juliette remained silent, not knowing what to add. She knew very well that some people were forced to do things they didn't want to take part of. Going to school was one of these things for her. Back when they were about to leave Kalos, she assumed Dad and Grandma would homeschool her. After all, her mother finding a job in Alola wasn't the only reason why they were leaving Kalos behind. But no, they signed her up for a new school as soon as they could. However, if they didn't sign her up, she probably would have never met any of her classmates. They all seemed to be decent people—excluding Telford and Chaos—and besides that, there was her Grandma's cryptic promise. _Why am I even complaining then? I should stop._

The two girls returned to the living room. Juliette sat down on one of the loveseats as Luana turned on the TV, sitting right by her side. Anu had followed them both inside the house and lied close to his owner's feet. The preview for today's episode of Toddlers and Ribbons was starting; it opened with a little girl getting frustrated over her Furfrou refusing to get his hair trimmed to resemble the girl's dress. " _Will Katrina and her Furfrou get over this setback?"_ the show's narrator asked the audience in a rather melodramatic tone.

"Tell me Juliette," Luana spoke, "I'm curious. Did you ever challenge a Gym Leader when you lived in Kalos?"

"No, I never did. I've never been interested in that, honestly."

"Really? I've never met anyone who wasn't interested in collecting badges! Even people I've spoken to on the islands want to try it someday!" Luana exclaimed with her eyebrows raised.

Juliette shifted in her seat ever so slightly. "I guess I'm some sort of oddity."

"No, it's alright. It's not like beating Gym Leaders is the only thing to do out there." Luana paused for a moment; taking a look at the events on the screen. "Since you only have two Pokémon, have you thought about catching more here in Alola?"

"Catching more Pokémon?" Juliette never considered the option. She was doing just fine with Halbert and Poppy, but deep down she envied those who had large teams. Luana's stories of how she met her Pokémon only helped rekindle that feeling. "It would be nice, but if I were to try to catch a new Pokémon, I wouldn't know where to start looking."

"You could look anywhere, really. No need to worry about that!" Luana smiled. "One of these days we could even go on a trip so you can catch yourself a new Pokémon. Just the two of us."

Juliette chuckled. "I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Don't say that! I think it's a great idea! My aunt and uncle wouldn't mind if I took a day off."

"If you say so, then it has to be…"

The Toddlers & Ribbons show was getting interesting. One of the contestants was struggling against being put in time out by her mother. The girl was throwing a hissy fit over her dress being way too frilly and puffy for her taste. In the end, she and her mother came to an agreement thanks to the girl's Leavanny, who fixed the dress so it was less puffy while keeping the frills.

* * *

About an hour and a half went by since the show started. Luana encouraged Juliette to comment with her the different things that happened; from the cute performances to the temper tantrums thrown by both the children and their parents. _I never thought I would enjoy a show of this kind, much less talking about it with someone outside of my immediate circle._

Another episode of the show was starting when someone rang the doorbell. Alisanne—who was still working in the backyard—appeared in the living room shortly after. "I'll get it!"

When she opened the door, a deep male voice could be heard. "I'm home!"

"Papa!" Luana jumped from the couch and dashed towards the door, hugging a tall and slightly pudgy man with a skin tone similar to Luana's.

The man's hair and eyes were dark brown. His hair was slightly side swept to the left and it barely reached his jaw where a five o'clock shadow beard grew. His outfit consisted of a buttoned up black shirt, a gray and blue accented sports coat, rolled up gray pants and gray slip on shoes. A loose belt that held his Pokéballs was around his waist. Meanwhile, a feline Pokémon that was roughly the same height as him stood close by.

"How have you been today Lulu?" he asked with a big smile.

"I've been great! Today I brought home a new friend from school." Luana turned around and motioned for Juliette to approach them.

She approached with slow steps; this time she wanted to try to be the one to introduce herself. "Alola! My name is Juliette. I started going to Luana's school just recently. I come from the Kalos region."

"Alola Juliette! I'm Luana's father. My name is Kealohi, but you can just call me Mr. Paoa! I'm a shiny hunter. This is one of my partners, Incineroar." The Pokémon roared as a form of greeting.

"Papa, did you get to catch anything today?" Luana queried with a sparkle in her eyes.

Kealohi shook his head. "I didn't see any today either. I must be patient. I'm sure a new shiny shall appear before me soon!"

"I'm sure of it, Papa. Can I go with you next time?"

"Well, you know what they say: two heads are better than one." Kealohi then addressed his wife, "By the way girls, look who I came across on the way here!" Having said this, Kealohi motioned for his companions to come inside.

Alisanne and Luana gasped when they discovered their identities and proceeded to greet them loudly afterwards. One of them was Hau and the other was a male unknown to Juliette.

The man—corpulent and surely older than anyone else in the room—was chatting with Alisanne. His hair—which was partly gathered up in a ponytail—and mustache were grey. He was wearing an orange and white kimono like jacket over a blue shirt. He wore a white rope belt that held a strangely shaped fan. He also wore white bermuda shorts and slippers. He put a few shopping bags down on the floor.

Hau approached Luana and Juliette with a wide grin. "See? I told you I'd be back for dinner!"

"Yay! The more the merrier!" Luana hugged her friend briefly then faced Juliette. "Juliette, do you want to say hello to Hau's grandfather?"

"The Kahuna?" Juliette drew closer to her, speaking in a low and tremulous voice. "You want me to talk to the Kahuna?"

A hearty laugh escaped Hau. "You don't need to worry! He may be a Kahuna, but my Tutu is very nice."

"Hau is right. Let's go!" Luana grabbed Juliette by the hand, drawing her in closer to where the man was. He was currently talking to Alisanne and Kealohi.

"Tutu, a new friend of ours wants to introduce herself."

"I see!" His words boomed across the room, almost making Juliette jump back. "What's your name, child?"

"My name…?" She looked at Luana, then to Hau, and then back at Luana. She barely dared to make eye contact with the Kahuna, so she awkwardly stared at his mustache instead. "My name is Juliette and I come from the Kalos region." She forced a smile. _How many more new people will I have to come across today?_

"Oho, Kalos, you say? How interesting! What do you think of Alola so far?"

"What do I think of Alola? So far I think it's a nice region to live in and..." Again, Juliette looked at Hau and Luana alternatively, struggling to complete her sentence, "...it has nice people, I think."

"Dahahaha!" Hala left out a rambunctious laugh while slapping his belly. Juliette lowered her head, already convinced that she said something wrong. "You're right girl, this is a great region and our people are very welcoming. You must have come from Kalos recently, correct?"

"Right." Juliette nodded.

"Then I sincerely hope you soon feel at home here in Alola!"

"Thank you!" Juliette smiled, sighing in relief afterwards. _I didn't mess up in the end. Hoorah!_

"Alisanne," Kealohi spoke, "can Hau and Hala stay with us for dinner today? Since we came here together I think it would be a good idea."

The woman smiled brightly. "Sure. They are more than welcome to stay. In fact, I was going to prepare dinner in a little bit."

"Mom, can I help you prepare dinner? Please!" Luana gave her mother the most irresistible Rockruff eyed look, clasping her hands together and all.

"Sure thing Lulu! I could use a helping hand, we'll get to have dinner sooner." Alisanne approached her husband, who was starting a new conversation with Hala, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Lulu and I are going to prepare dinner. It will be ready soon."

"Alright! We will be waiting in the living room," Kealohi answered.

Meanwhile, Luana was with Hau and Juliette. "Do you guys want to come with us to the kitchen and watch us cook dinner?"

"It will be fun! You can fill me in what you've been up to these past few hours and I can do the same!" Hau grinned widely with his arms behind his head.

"Sounds like a deal! Can't wait to hear what you have been up to. Right, Juliette?"

The girl barely heard what Hau and Luana said just now. She was too caught up in her own thoughts. _Why are they treating me like family? Is this normal? Why has this never happened before? It's unbelievable._

"Juliette?" Luana called for her, finally bringing her back to reality.

"We are going to the kitchen now?" Juliette smiled halfheartedly. Although she was scolding herself internally for getting distracted so easily.

"Yes!" Hau answered. "Let's see who makes it first!" With that the boy dashed towards the kitchen, running right past Kealohi's Incineroar.

"Not fair, you cheater! Wait for me!" Luana began to run right after. Juliette, on her part, wasn't feeling it and prefered to just walk to the kitchen.

"Juliette, you're last!" Hau announced as the girl walked through the large white archway that gave access to the kitchen.

"Let her, she must be tired from the boat trip and all." Luana elbowed him playfully. She then proceeded to set two chairs for them to sit on afterwards.

Alisanne entered the kitchen as well shortly after. She put on a white and grey apron with the silhouette of Lumiose City's Prism Tower on the bottom right corner. "Alright Lulu, start getting the ingredients, please." Alisanne then faced Hau and Juliette with a kind smile. "I see we have an audience! I hope watching us cook is not too boring for you kids."

Hau smiled back at her. "Don't worry! I'm easy to entertain. By the way, what are we having for dinner?"

"Cajun style Magikarp fillets with buttered brown rice and steamed broccoli!" Alisanne announced with a grin.

Hau suddenly jumped on his seat, earning himself a befuddled look from Juliette. "That's sounds delicious! I bet it will taste great. Can't wait to give it a try!"

Alisanne laughed. "I'm glad you are so enthused about the menu."

During that brief period of time, Luana had diligently gathered all the ingredients and placed them all on one of the counters. She had brought out multiple Magikarp filets, a variety of spices like garlic powder and ground paprika, a bag of rice, and various vegetables such as cut broccoli and bell peppers. "Where do we start?"

"We will start with the filets first. The rest we'll start as we go." Alisanne was setting up some pots and pans as well as other cookware.

Juliette observed the scene in silence; remembering the day they arrived in Alola. She and her mother were organizing the kitchen; putting everything on its respective places. They even worked together to attach a spice rack to the wall. Moments like those were scarce between them and Juliette couldn't help but feel jealousy threatening to show its ugly head upon seeing Luana and her mother cooking together. To avoid this, she did the very last thing she thought she would do.

"Hau, tell me. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, really!" The boy scratched his cheek. "I've been watching my Tutu and his Pokémon train together. I asked him if we could have a battle but he said he prefered to leave that for another day."

"But battling a Kahuna must be intimidating, even if it's just a friendly match."

"You're right." Hau's usual cheery expression suddenly changed to a determined stare. "He may be my Tutu, but we take our battles very seriously. I really want to beat him someday." He sighed and kept quiet for a moment before resuming the conversation, "Say Juliette, do you have any special goal?"

 _Yes. I'm devoted to seeing a Legendary Pokémon probably doesn't exist within this region._ Juliette shook her head and shrugged. "No, not really. So far I just want to do well at school, I guess."

"Hey, that's a very valid goal! I wish you the best of luck."

Juliette smiled at the sincerity of Hau's comment. "Thank you very much, I wish you the same with your goal too." The two teens observed Luana and Alisanne working on their dinner in silence. Alisanne covered the Magikarp filets with a mixture of spices while Luana heated up a couple of tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. The smell of melted butter began filling the room.

"This scent reminds me," Hau spoke again, "after training we both got hungry and came here to Hau'oli City to buy something for dinner, but we came across Lua's dad and the rest, as they say, is history."

Not knowing what to add to the conversation anymore, Juliette nodded and turned her attention back to the two females in the kitchen. Luana was chopping a bell pepper that she then threw into a skillet, stirring it from time to time. Alisanne was still preparing the filets, covering the last ones in the same mixture of spices. _When I go back home, I might ask Dad or Grandma if we can cook together someday,_ Juliette told herself with a small smile.

* * *

"Dinner is ready!" Alisanne said with a raised voice; walking briefly into the living room while drying up her hands with her apron.

"Should we help you bring out the dishes?" Hala—who was sitting on a couch with Kealohi—made a motion to stand up, but Alisanne stopped him.

"Don't worry, the kids are helping me. However, you two can go sit at the table." She went back to the kitchen and took her apron off.

Soon Alisanne, Luana, Juliette, and Hau left the kitchen carrying a couple of dishes full of food each. They placed them down on the table carefully and then went back to the kitchen to fetch a loaf of bread, a glass for each one of them and something to drink, namely water and mango juice. "My favorite!" Luana squealed when her mother got the bottle. Before finally going to the dining area, Alisanne and Luana went to the backyard to give all the Pokémon some food as well. Halbert and Poppy were still there, now accompanied by Kealohi's Pokémon as well as some of Hau's and Hala's.

With everything ready, everyone sat down at the table. Like the rest of the house, the dining area was decorated with excellent taste. The light brown wooden table, small and sleek, sat on top of a light blue rug. A Flabebe themed vase with several flowers sat on the middle of the table. Several white and brown wooden chairs were around the table. As Alisanne told them, Kealohi and Hala were already sitting down on opposite sides of the table. Alisanne sat next to her husband and in turn, Luana sat next to her mother. On the other side, Hau sat at his grandfather side and Juliette sat next to the boy.

"Bon appetit!" Alisanne exclaimed before taking a spoonful of rice.

"Bon appetit," Everyone echoed back.

All of them grew quiet for a moment as they savored the first few bites of food. It didn't take long until the silence was broken. "Luana, Alisanne, your cooking is delicious as always!" Kealohi praised.

"Thank you dear, I'm glad you like it!" His wife made a coy gesture with her hand, placing the other on her cheek. "What does everyone else think?"

"I agree with Dad, I think we did a great job!" Luana answered before continuing to cut off a piece of one of the seasoned Magikarp fillets with a fork and a knife.

Hau, Juliette, and Hala responded more or less in the same way, praising the flavor of the food. "Maybe it turned out great because we were there, Juliette," the boy joked.

Luana pretended to roll her eyes at the comment. "Yeah, that's probably why." Juliette just smiled and shook her head; taking a bite of a broccoli sprout.

"Hala, how are the preparations for this year's festival coming along?" Kealohi asked in between sips of water.

"They are going nicely so far. I think we will have a very good festival, especially if Tapu Koko is up for it."

Juliette snickered and almost choked on her food. " _Tapu Koko? Koko? Why do I find the name funny? Anyway, I hope no one noticed I laughed! Wait, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele… There must be a connection._ Once free from a small onset of laughter, she decided to ask about it. "Who is Tapu Koko?"

" _Oho!_ " Thanks to Hala's loud exclamation, this time Juliette did choke on her food. Fortunately the mishap was quickly solved by a few gulps of water. "Sorry about that, I tend to get too loud from time to time," Hala said apologetically. "Anyways, as I was about to explain, Tapu Koko is Melemele's guardian deity. Each of the four islands that make up Alola has its own guardian Pokémon."

"That means Tapu Koko is just like Tapu Lele in that regard, right?" Juliette inquired.

"Correct. Alola's guardian deities are also known as The Four Tapu, since their names start the same way. Who knows, maybe one day you'll get to see one of them!"

"Personally," Luana intervened, "I would love to see Tapu Lele someday! She is easily my favorite out of the four."

The way Luana's eyes sparkled upon mentioning Tapu Lele reminded Juliette of herself whenever she talked about Zygarde or someone mentioned him to her. _Unlike myself, she doesn't get hell for it._

"Considering you have a Z-Ring, there's no doubt that you'll see one of them someday." Hau's words were aimed at Luana.

"I know, but I don't think that has anything to do with it." Luana glanced down at her Z-Ring with a sigh.

"They say impossible is nothing, don't they? Many people has seen the Tapu in the past, regardless if they owned a Z-Ring or not," Alisanne encouraged her after swallowing a slice of filet.

"I still remember how I felt when I found my first shiny," Kealohi said, recalling the distant memory, "I had to rub my eyes several times to believe it!"

"I can't wait until I find a shiny of my own, too!" Luana exclaimed with enthusiasm. "I believe Pohaku would like having a shiny friend, don't you think?"

Kealohi nodded. "Absolutely! And I'm sure you will make that come true sooner or later."

Following the conversation in silence, Juliette kept eating her food and drinking water from time to time. Unlike the day Kiawe's parents invited her and her family for dinner, her father and grandmother weren't here to encourage her to start a conversation. Juliette knew they did it for her sake and she wished she could talk more without her irrational fear of sounding ignorant, but it was difficult for her. _At least I asked Hala about Tapu Koko, that must be something,_ she told herself. This kind of thing always goes one step at a time.

* * *

Dinner went by in between lively conversations and lots of laughter. Juliette even intervened a few times, especially when Alisanne started talking about her favorite landscapes in Kalos. Hau and Hala also named some of their favorite places in Alola—most of them in Melemele, like Melemele Meadow and the Berry Fields—and suggested Juliette to visit them when she had the chance.

Speaking of Hau and Hala, the duo left shortly after they were done with dinner. Hala explained he had to wake up early the next day. As for Hau, Luana invited him to come back the next day so they could go to the Malasada Shop for lunch, just as she suggested earlier in the day. Needless to say, he accepted the invite.

With all the dishes, glasses, and cutlery from dinner clean and in their respective places, everyone was finally ready to go to bed. Juliette had withdrawn Halbert and Poppy into their respective Poké Balls and placed them carefully inside her bag for the night. After Juliette and Luana said goodnight to the girl's parents, the two went to Luana's bedroom. She wasn't all that tired and neither was Juliette, so they agreed to hang out for a bit before officially going to bed. They were still dressed in their casual attire.

Juliette sat down on an orange bean bag chair situated in the middle of the room while Luana sat on the edge of her bed. Almost everything in the room was either orange or white: white carpet, orange and white walls, and orange and white striped covers complete with a white pillow. A wall décor featuring Rockruff's silhouette lined the top of the walls. A small nightstand sat right next to her twin sized bed with an Alolan Vulpix themed lamp, a picture portraying Luana with her family and their Pokémon, and an alarm clock. Many Pokémon plushies were stacked on a white bookshelf located on the right side of the bed. Juliette looked at them only able to recognize some of them such as Vulpix, Eevee, and Tapu Lele. A Rockruff plush was on the bed as well.

"Do you like my plushies?" Luana asked with a smile. The girl got up and walked over to the bookshelf. She grabbed the Tapu Lele plush and handed it to Juliette. "You can hold it if you want."

"Thank you." Juliette held the plush carefully, taking a closer look at it. She could understand why Luana liked this Pokémon so much. The plush portrayed the creature in an adorable manner. Its big pink and blue eyes seemed to have a curious expression in them.

Luana, who was again standing next to the bookshelf, retrieved a different plush off of it. "Want to know another one of my favorite Legendary Pokémon? Here."

She handed Juliette a plush depicting a bat like Pokémon whose head shape reminded her of a crescent moon. The doll had a serene expression that made Juliette spellbound for a short span of time. "Who is this?" she asked.

"That is Lunala," Luana answered. "She is known as the beast that calls the moon and has been honored as an emissary of the moon from time immemorial...and it's a really pretty Pokémon to boot!"

Juliette kept her gaze on the doll. "An emissary of the moon? I'm sure the legend behind that is really interesting."

"It sure is!" Luana nodded with a smile. "Do you have a favorite Legendary Pokémon?"

Tensing all of the sudden, Juliette looked up at Luana. She glanced down at the plushies on her lap, then further down below at her espadrilles. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Juliette looked back at Luana and gave her half a shrug. "No, not really. There's many interesting Legendary Pokémon out there, but there's none that stands out to me especially."

"But the pattern on your cap and shoes—"

"Oh, that?" Juliette abruptly interrupted the other girl loudly; louder than she intended to in the process. "It's just coincidence, really. My father gifted them to me when I turned thirteen and he probably didn't realize the pattern matched, haha."

"I see…" Luana raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced by Juliette's answer. Since the topic of fashion had been slightly mentioned, Luana became absolutely enthused. "You know, I'm really into fashion! See that closet? It's _huge_! Want me to show you some of my clothes?"

"Sure, be my guest!" Juliette chuckled and then sighed in relief. She was glad that the Legendary Pokémon topic was quickly left behind.

As Luana walked towards the closet, Juliette gently placed the Tapu Lele and Lunala plushes back in their previous places. She then stood next to Luana as she opened her closet; revealing a plethora of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Everything within was neatly organized which reminded Juliette of a store. _Wow, that's three times the amount of clothing I own! Why do other girls need so much of it?_

"Look, this is one of my favorite dresses." Luana retrieved an orange dress with short sleeves that were adorned by a ruffle. "What do you think of it?"

Juliette tilted her head staring at the dress from top to bottom. "It looks nice but it's not my style. Sorry."

"No need to be sorry! Not everyone has the same fashion style." Luana hung the dress up and retrieved a different one. This dress was a baby blue one with a small daisy pattern printed all over it. A ruffle served as the dress' hem. "I bought this one a couple of years ago during a trip to Konikoni City, which is in Akala Island."

"How often do you go shopping?"

"Whenever I have the chance. Hey, one of these days we should go together! What do you say?" Luana inched forward with an expectant look in her eyes.

Juliette gave one step backwards to regain some personal space. "It would be nice to do that someday."

"Yes! Since you live in Akala we could tour _all_ of the shops!"

"A tour of...clothing stores?" Juliette mumbled to herself before nodding at Luana with a faint smile. Her furrowed brows, however, gave away how she really felt about the idea.

The showcase of clothing and other fashion related articles continued for a few more minutes until a particular item in the room caught Juliette's attention. It was a cork board chock-full of pictures. All of them featured Luana and her friends; namely Lillie, Kiawe, Hau and others.

Luana approached Juliette from behind in silence. "There's lots of memories right there." The other girl shuddered at the sudden words and turned around abruptly.

"You are lucky to have so many of them," Juliette lamented with a hint of bitterness. "I never had anyone to take a picture with besides my family."

Luana approached and hugged Juliette without saying a word, much to her surprise. It took a couple of seconds to hug her back, but the gesture brought an immediate feeling of peace to her. It was a gentle and comforting hug; the kind of hug that only her father and grandmother—very rarely her mother—gave her. Despite this, Juliette herself was the one to break the embrace before it lasted way too long.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Juliette." Luana's eyes glistened. "I had no idea. You don't have anyone back in Kalos?"

"You don't need to feel sorry, it's okay. As for your question, I don't think I can give a satisfying answer. I guess it's yes, but it's also no. It's hard to explain."

"I see. Let me guess...a long distance relationship perhaps?" Luana smirked; going back to her usual cheery disposition.

A slight blush crept on Juliette's cheeks. "Of course not! What are you getting at? All the boys in my school were so immature."

"I'm just kidding!" Luana laughed before giving Juliette a friendly pat on her shoulder.

A light silence fell upon the room. It wasn't awkward in the slightest; it was like a natural silence following the end of a conversation. However, it wasn't long until a new one was started. "Luana, how did you meet Kiawe and the others?"

"I met them in all sorts of places. For an example, I met some of them—Hau, Ilima, Gladion, and Lillie—while I was attending the Trainer's School here in Hau'oli City. Then I met the rest of them during my Trials Run, such as Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles. Then I met Kiawe during my first visit to Aunt Nohea and Uncle Makoa's home in Paniola Town. I can easily say Kiawe and Hau are my childhood friends. However, something strange happened near the time I graduated..."

"What was it?" Juliette asked as she took a seat in the bean bag.

"Hau and I thought Gladion and Lillie would join us, but shortly before starting our Run, they became distant until one day the both of them disappeared." Luana recalled with a sad look in her eyes. "I was looking forward to see them do the Island Challenge too after all the effort they put into class, but sadly that never happened."

"But now they're going to school again in Akala Island. What happened?"

"Shortly after Hau and I were done with the Challenge, we saw Gladion and Lillie again." Luana sighed, shifting her body to her left. "They were doing better and weren't as distant as they were the last time we talked to them. It was such a big relief!"

"So even after all that time without seeing them, they remained your friends? You're lucky." Juliette leaned forward as she spoke.

"All of us are lucky they even came back…" The girl murmured, looking at the floor for a moment before looking at Juliette with the brightest smile. "Being close to your group of friends is the best thing ever, don't you think?"

"I never had such thing, but I guess it is."

"But Juliette," Luana crouched in front of her, "now that you are in a new region, you will meet tons of different people and make friends. You seem really nice and I hope we talk more from now on."

Juliette's eyes lit up. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do! Don't you see how many plans we made today?" Luana giggled. "Besides, I love making new friends. I'm sure the others feel the same."

"Eh, I wouldn't put words in their mouth," Juliette mumbled, "but hearing you say that makes me very happy. I'm not used to hear that from others." As soon as she finished her sentence Juliette yawned and politely covered her mouth.

"You are exhausted, aren't you? Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I think it would be the best." Juliette yawned again. "Is the guest room close by?"

"Yes it is. You only have to go across the hallway and you'll see the room. It's next to the large windows on the left side." Both girls got up and Luana accompanied her guest to the door. "Goodnight, Juliette! I hope you rest well, because when Hau goes to a Malasada Shop it's hard to keep up with him!"

Juliette smiled at the comment. "That'll be a trip. Goodnight!" The girl walked away from the door as Luana closed it slowly.

Following Luana's directions, Juliette made it to the guest room in the blink of an eye. The guest bedroom was rather simple. The carpet and walls were beige just like those in the loft. Two full sized beds sat on either side of the room up against the corner walls. Each of them had beige bedspreads and metal bed frames. There was a dark brown dresser along the left wall as well as a walk in closet in the entryway wall, located in the leftmost side. What caught Juliette's attention the most, however, was a particular painting that hung above the nightstand in between the two beds. It depicted a scene of Lumiose City at night with its famous Prism Tower lit up in the distance. The teen found herself running her fingertips along the glass that covered the image, hypnotized by it until a loud yawn reminded her what she came to do in the room.

She put on her black nightgown with hot pink polka dots and folded her clothes to place them into her bag. Before getting into bed she checked her phone in hopes of seeing a goodnight message from her mother, but there was none. _Maybe she's still at the Pokémon Center. She must be having a very busy day._

After turning off the room's lights, Juliette finally got into bed and turned off the lamp on top of the nightstand. She checked her messages one last time and placed the phone next to her under the lamp. The sight of the floral themed ceiling fan above her distracted the girl as she tried to figure out which flowers were depicted. She could tell there were a couple of tulips by their characteristic cup shape and bright colors. There were a few lilies of various colors as well.

Despite the small distraction, Juliette still could not fathom the fact that she was in a bed other than her own. Her new room felt a lot more familiar than this, despite only being there for only two weeks so far. _Enough of staring at the ceiling. I need to get to sleep soon or tomorrow I will look and act like a zombie!_ Doing her best to clear her mind, Juliette closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to relax and fall asleep. She didn't know yet, but a very wild day awaited her the following morning.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Big day out**

Juliette's eyes fluttered open early in the morning. Her eyes played tricks on her as she stared up at a colorful blue blur—said blur being the floral themed fan she spent the night staring at before falling asleep. She turned to her left and peered at the the alarm clock placed on top of the nightstand. It was a quarter past six in the morning.

 _I_ _got_ _some_ _sleep? Incredible_ _!_ The girl shifted her attention to her cellphone. A blue light blinked every few seconds signaling an unread notification. _Mom messaged me_ _!_

Juliette sat up in bed and grabbed her phone. With daylight barely coming out, the bright screen made her squint for a moment until her eyes got used to the light. Sure enough, she received her awaited message from her mother. However, there was a problem. The message arrived fifteen minutes ago. The phone's lock screen darkened—threatening to go black in the next few seconds. Juliette swiped her finger in an upwards motion across the screen. Her phone asked her to type her PIN code. After doing so, she opened the message.

 _"Hey,_ _Juliette. Dad and Grandma told me about your sleepover. I hope you spend a good weekend at your friend's house!_ _"_

The girl re-read the message at least five times. _Why_ _did she_ _send_ _this only_ _recently_ _? She goes home around three o'clock in the morning. What if she forgot about it and only remembered now_ _?_ Juliette tapped the message bar intending to send another message, but she knew that anything she would type at the moment would sound passive-aggressive. She hated feeling like this towards her mother. All Juliette wanted was to have proof that despite all the hours her mother spent working at the Pokémon Center, her family was still on her mind. Sadly that was hard to believe for Juliette.

 _"And_ _I hope you spend a good weekend at work._ _"_

Juliette deleted the text soon after. That was the kind of message she wanted to avoid at all costs. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyelids were still heavy from sleep. Her fatigue threatened to take over and put her back to sleep as she sat up, but she opened her eyes again and faced the screen with the keyboard up to type a new message.

 _"Thank_ _you! I've been doing well so far. I hope your weekend goes well too._ _"_

 _Much better…_ Juliette sighed and pressed the Send button. In a few seconds the status of the message went from "Sending" to "Sent". The teen spent a few minutes sitting in bed and staring at the screen in hopes her mother would read it and message her back. However, that didn't happen. She placed the phone on the nightstand with resignation, lied down on her side, and turned her back away from the phone. Juliette wanted to fall asleep again—something that wouldn't be too hard to do if she wasn't thinking about how her mother might message her back at any time.

* * *

Hours had gone by and morning gave way to midday. Hau'oli City was bustling with activity. Streets were full of people and shops were receiving customer after customer. One of the local Malasada Shops was among those establishments.

Hau, Juliette, and Luana sat down at a table waiting for their friends to arrive for lunch. Some of their Pokémon accompanied the trio. Juliette brought Halbert and Poppy along with her while Luana had Anu come along. "He'd enjoy going to a malasada shop," she said in the morning as they prepared for their outing. Hau was with his Alolan Raichu, who also showed a great deal of excitement over the location they were in.

"I can't wait for the others to arrive so we can make our orders," Hau grinned widely. He looked out the window next to their table hoping to see their friends, but none of them have arrived yet.

"Patience," Luana said as she nudged Hau playfully, "they'll be here soon!"

"I hope so, because I'm starving!"

The only one who wasn't taking part in the conversation was Juliette. She sat as far from the window as possible. She was sitting by Luana—leaving space for at least two people to sit to her right. Right now she wasn't think much of who would occupy them, for that her mind was stuck thinking about the small message exchange between herself and her mother. When Juliette woke up at nine o'clock and checked her phone, she had a new message from her mother. It was simply just a thumbs up emoji, which was received around half an hour after the message she last sent.

Her father and grandmother, however, sent her good morning messages that were way more enthusiastic and helped put a slight smile on her face. Despite that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mother out of her mind and how she didn't seem to be all that interested in her own daughter having her first sleepover. _Am_ _I asking too much from her_ _?_ Juliette asked herself with her head resting on her hand and her eyes staring down at the table.

"Juliette! Are you still asleep?" Hau's energetic voice didn't phase her.

"Of course not!" Luana chuckled and peered at Hau. She then directed her attention towards the aforementioned. "Is everything alright, Juliette?"

Juliette sighed and looked at her companions with a forced smile. "Yes, I'm okay. I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

"It's understandable," Hau said, "sleeping in a bed other than your own always feels weird."

"You look a bit sleep deprived, but I'm sure it'll pass as soon as you have lunch." Luana gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

"Lua is right. Maybe you need a sugar rush. Wait until you taste the malasadas in this shop!" Hau bounced in his seat with excitement.

Luana smirked. "Says the boy with a never-ending sugar rush!"

The exchange made Juliette laugh a bit along with Hau and Luana. _I need to distract myself._ Juliette glanced out the window and then at the clock hanging above the counter. The group arranged to meet for lunch at quarter past twelve but the clock marked twenty-five past twelve. _With_ _all the crowds out on the streets I'm sure they're having trouble getting_ _her_ _—_

The ringing of a bell above the entrance interrupted Juliette's thoughts. A large group of people made their way into the shop and approached their table. The newcomers were Mallow, Ilima, Kiawe, Lana, Sophocles and Lillie. Everyone except Lillie had a Pokémon out beside them. Sophocles with Togedemaru, Lana with Dewpider, Mallow with Panthump, Kiawe with Marowak, and Ilima with Eevee. Anu, Raichu, Poppy, and Halbert leered at the newcomers and greeted each of their Pokemon.

"You guys are late—," Luana pouted—feigning annoyance.

"Sorry Luana," Mallow apologized, discreetly pointing at Lana, "our friend here misled us because she _insisted_ the best Malasada Shop in Hau'oli City is the one in the mall."

"Nonsense!" Hau jumped from his seat. "Lana, if you've eaten here then you'd know this place makes the best malasadas in Hau'oli City and possibly the entirety of Alola."

"I'm sorry," the blue haired girl stuck out her tongue, "I really thought you three were at the mall."

Luana shook her head and smiled. "It's alright. Now hurry up and take a seat!"

Sophocles and Kiawe took the free seats to Juliette's right while Lillie, Mallow and Lana sat on the opposite side. Ilima pulled up a chair and placed it at the end of the table. His Eevee took a leap and lied down on his lap.

"I can't decide on what to get! There's so many malasadas here that I want to try!" Hau scanned the single carte on the table.

Lana sighed. "I get you're excited, but shouldn't you wait until we all have a carte?"

Hau put down the piece of paper and smiled apologetically. "Yeah, I guess you're right…but I'm too excited!" He continued to stare at the carte, which caused Lana to sigh in defeat.

A few minutes later, a waitress arrived at their table. She handed a carte to each of them, which were similar to the one Hau has in his possession currently. The group examined their cartes thoroughly.

"Guys, I think I'm trying the Mythic Malasada. With that name it's bound to be the best one in the world." Hau rubbed his belly in anticipation.

"A spicy malasada should do for me," Kiawe decided as he placed his carte down.

"I think I'll get a sweet malasada with custard filling," Luana said without dropping the menu—just in case she spotted something else she wanted to order.

Meanwhile Juliette glanced over the carte numerous times unable to decide over what kind of malasada to get. She wasn't quite hungry at the moment and it clouded her judgement. Seeing how most of her companions were already settled, she was contemplating making an order only for her Pokémon and call it a day. _I_ _don't_ _think_ _that_ _would_ _look_ _good in their eyes, but I_ _really_ _don't know what to order and my Pokémon are way more hungry than I am_ _._

The same waitress from before reappeared to take the group's orders in no particular order. Juliette hoped she would be the last person to be asked since she was still looking through the carte. The others ordered malasadas for their Pokémon as well, just like what she was considering.

"I want a Mythic Malasada, please!" Hau proclaimed with a wide smile.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid they aren't available at this time of the year," The waitress replied apologetically. She kept the tip of her pen against her small notebook at hand.

Hau put on a pouty frown. "What a bummer! Okay, instead I'll have four Big Malasadas—two for me and two for my Pokémon."

"Sure!" The woman wrote down his order. "What about you?"

The waitress aimed her question at Juliette. She was so absorbed staring at the carte that she did not notice both the waitress' question and the two taps on her shoulder from Luana. "Oh, me? I think I'll have…" she glanced at the menu out of the corner of her eye, picking the first thing she saw, "I'll have a Big Malasada for myself and one for my Pokémon each."

"You have good taste, Juliette," Hau said with a grin, "The bigger the malasada, the better!"

The rest of the group ordered right after Juliette. Ilima went with a custard filled malasada similar to Luana. Sophocles and his Togedemaru both went with a Sour Malasada. Mallow and Lana went with plain Big Malasadas as well. When they ordered something to drink, there wasn't much diversity with their choices. Most went with either Moo Moo Milk or a variant of juice. Juliette, however, opted for a bottle of water.

When the waitress left their tableside, Luana struck a conversation with the group. "So," she stressed the word out, "what has everyone been up to this morning?"

"I got up early today to fish with my little sisters," Lana began. "Waking up at sunrise was a great idea because the three of us caught a shiny Gyarados each."

The group went silent. "Interesting…" Sophocles narrowed his eyes in doubt.

"The shiny Gyarados bit was a joke," Lana giggled. "I hope nobody fell for it."

"Speaking of your sisters," Kiawe intervened, "Mimo keeps asking me if she can see them again. Will you be able to bring Harper and Sarah someday soon?"

"Sure thing! I might be able to do so tomorrow, in fact." Lana winked in Kiawe's direction and he grinned as a form of thanks in reply.

"What about you, Mallow?" Luana peered in Mallow's direction.

"Oh, me? I've just been working with my parents at the restaurant ever since we opened this morning. My brother will be away all day again."

"Juliette," Luana said to get her attention, "did you know Mallow's brother is a Trial Captain?"

"No?" Juliette answered with unintentional bluntness. "Er, sorry! That sounded way harsher than I intended."

"No worries," Luana reassured her. "Mallow's brother has his Trial Site at Lush Jungle. We could go there someday!"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Besides, he's always eager to meet new people," Mallow added with a smile.

Shortly after Mallow finished her sentence, the waitress came back with everyone's drinks. She carried them on two trays since they all ordered extra drinks for their Pokémon as well. "The malasadas will be ready momentarily," she announced with smile before going back to the counter and fetching a tray for a different table.

Hau took a sip of Moo Moo Milk and then praised the place they were in once again. "What makes this particular shop so great is that they make the malasadas fresh before serving them instead of selling premade ones."

"Nothing beats a freshly made malasada," Ilima agreed before taking a sip of his own drink.

"But malasadas are nothing but jelly filled donuts…" Lana trailed off nonchalantly and observed Hau for his reaction with a sly grin on her face.

"Did you really just say that?" The green haired boy frowned.

"I did, but it was a joke, I swear! Don't take it to heart like that." Lana laughed in amusement.

"Alright. I'll let it pass this time." Hau relaxed on his seat and took a quick look at a nearby table that was being served.

A few minutes later the waitress came back with their malasadas. "The malasadas are ready! Who ordered a sweet malasada with custard filling?"

"Me!" Luana raised her hand enthusiastically. "I also ordered another one for my Pokémon."

"As did I," Ilima said with a slight raised hand. His Eevee squealed and shook its tail in anticipation.

"Alright." The server placed the two small dishes in front of Anu and Luana then did the same with Ilima and his Eevee.

Anu licked his chops upon seeing the pastry and tried to taste it, but Luana stopped him. "Now now Anu, wait until everyone has their malasada!"

The Pokémon looked at Luana with an apologetic look and sat down by his Trainer's side. Meanwhile, the waitress held up more plates. "Was it you who asked for the spicy malasada?" she asked as she looked at Kiawe.

"Yeah, that was me," he answered before the waitress placed the plate in front of him. She did the same with his Marowak's malasada. She then handed Lana, Sophocles, and Mallow's their orders.

Shortly after that, everyone was ready to eat. "Bon appétit!" Hau exclaimed happily before taking a big bite out of one of his malasadas.

 _I_ _doubt I'll be able to finish this_ , Juliette looked down at her plate and examined the supersized malasada. She handed the extra pastries to Halbert and Poppy respectively. The two started eating right away with delighted expressions. After taking a sip of water, Juliette finally tasted the famous dessert. The dough's sugary coating intrigued her. "Now I understand all the fuss. This is so good!"

"Right?" Hau replied with a mouth full of food. "Yup, this is indeed the best malasada I've ever tasted. I'm glad we came here!"

"Don't you say that with _every_ malasada you try?" Luana joked with a slight smirk on her lips. "Anyways, don't you know speaking with a mouth full of food is inappropriate?"

"Whatever you say, mother," Hau answered sarcastically in an equally amused manner.

Lillie, who prefered eating her malasada using the plastic cutlery that came with the plates, giggled slightly at the exchange.

The friendly environment helped Juliette relax more. Watching her Pokémon eat contently played a big role as well. _if_ _they're happy, then so am I._

"So, Kiawe," Luana began, "how did it go at the supermarket yesterday?"

Kiawe huffed. "It was a handful. I had to deal with several rowdy customers. This one woman had the audacity to tell me I was bothering her because I was in her way. All I did was replenish the vegetable section. That was it."

"Seriously? That was very rude of her!" Outraged, Mallow took a big bite out of her malasada and chewed vigorously.

"The worst part is that we can't do much about it," Kiawe added as he shook his head slightly. "As a stock boy, part of my duty is to help people out even if they misbehave. In my case, I'm patient enough to withstand that, but others aren't as stoic."

"I guess you'd be in trouble if you told a customer to do the decent thing and leave," Lana commented.

"Exactly."

"That's why I always try my best to stay away from people," Juliette muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something, Juliette?" Luana asked.

"No, I didn't," Juliette answered nonchalantly before taking a big bite out of her malasada.

"I don't think I'd make a good stock boy. If I was in a similar situation I would go blank," Sophocles said as he laughed nervously.

"I think you could get used to it," Kiawe encouraged Sophocles. "If we ever work together I could show you the ropes."

Sophocles smiled in response. "That'd be very nice of you, Kiawe. Speaking of work, did anyone finish the homework Oak assigned yet?"

Juliette smacked her forehead. "I was going to do it yesterday, but I forgot."

"You can always do that tomorrow!" Luana suggested. "That's what I'm going to do. We could even work on it together!"

"That sounds like a good idea." Juliette nodded in approval.

Ilima used a paper towel to clean his lips before speaking. "Hearing you lot talk about your homework takes me back to my school days. It brings back so many memories!"

"But you're still in school...only you're a teacher now!" Hau pointed out with his mouth full of malasada. Only half of his second one remained on his plate.

"That's true," Ilima nodded, "it's just sometimes I miss the hustle of being a student."

"I'm pretty sure being a teacher is more laborious than being a student." Mallow, who already finished her share of malasada, rested her face against her hand. "After all, teachers must do tons of things like prepping the next day's classes, correcting exams, and other things."

"I don't mean to change the subject," Luana chimed in, looking in Ilimas direction, "but I must ask: why didn't you bring Mina with you?"

"Oh, I did want to bring her along and I'm sure she would have loved to be here with us, but she had to attend her duties as a Trial Captain today." Ilima then craned his neck to look at Juliette. "I think you and Mina would get along. She enjoys drawing, too."

"Mina is Ilima's girlfriend," Luana clarified. "They've been dating for a while now."

"That's nice to know," Juliette answered with a smile; not knowing what else to add. _More new people to meet_ _eventually_ _. I'm not sure how to_ _feel_ _about that._

Not too long after their conversation, the teens and their respective Pokemon were finished with their food. Luana sat up first. "Don't worry about paying. The food is on me," she brought out her wallet from her pocket only for Ilima to place his hand over hers.

"No no, let me insist on paying instead." Luana locked eyes with Ilima and stared at him hard for a few moments before nodding lightly.

"O-of course!" she stammered. The rest of the group headed outside while Ilima paid for their food. Before that, however, Hau promised the cashier that he will be back very soon. Juliette left with the group hanging behind them all. She stared at the back of Luana's head.

 _I saw that weird look she gave him,_ she thought about Luana's strange behavior towards Ilima. _That was the first time I've seen her look...anything other than bubbly._

Ilima spent little time paying for the group's food. Now they were all together taking an aimless stroll under the island's radiant sun. "Where should we go next?" Lana asked out of the blue.

"There's so many things to do in this city," Ilima said, extending his arms to span the scenery in front of him, "we could spend the whole day going places and we wouldn't see this entire place place yet."

Juliette, on her part, was secretly hoping their next stop was Luana's house. Having lunch with them was fun, but she wanted to relax and get some alone time if possible. However, the others had different plans.

Luana turned around with a smile. "I know! We can go to the mall! What do you guys think?"

"Sounds great to me." Mallow's eyes lit up at the idea.

Kiawe smiled. "I don't have to go to work today, so I can join without a problem."

Everyone expressed their agreement with the plan except Juliette. Luana approached her. "You will come with us, right?"

She looked at Luana with a blank stare trying to think of something to say. She didn't want to go anywhere else, but she also knew saying no to Luana's offer would make her come across as rude and ungrateful. For that reason, Juliette decided to confess something that also went round in her head. "I do want to go, but I don't do very well in crowds."

"Is that so?" Luana asked, her smile persuasive. "Don't worry, nothing will happen as long as you're with us."

"Luana is right. Besides," Sophocles approached her, "I'm sure you will see tons of things you like in the mall."

"There's several art supply stores there. Maybe you can buy something for your drawings," Ilima said with a gentle smile.

"Luana and I can guide you through the best stores if you want." Lillie patted her bag as she spoke in what Juliette assumed was a gesture conveying her desire to buy.

Juliette looked heavenward with a resigned smile. "Looks like I have no other choice. Let's get going, then!"

* * *

The nine teens and their Pokémon made it to Hau'oli City's Mall in fifteen minutes as they patiently made their way through the crowded street. Upon entering the venue they were greeted by a multitude of stores that ranged from a beauty product store to a small but crowded café. There was also a daycare center for young children to be entertained while their parents did their shopping. Some small Pokémon like Stufful or Snubbull were there as well.

"Where should we go first?" Ilima asked, scanning his surroundings.

Hau put his arms behind his head. "I'm not sure. There's so much to see here."

"I was thinking of going to the Antique Shop. Who wants to join?" Luana looked at Lillie with a smile, expecting her answer.

Lillie nodded. "I want to go there." She turned to Juliette's direction. "Juliette, do you want to come with us? You might see something you like here."

"Sure, why not?" Juliette gave a small nod.

Sophocles eyes suddenly lit up. "I remembered there was a new gadget launching this week. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"All I can think of right now is going to the Malasada Shop here, _but,_ " Hau snorted, looking at Lana, "we've already been to the best one in Hau'oli City. The second best shop can wait unless I get hungry again."

"Knowing you, I'm sure you will." Luana giggled.

Hau shook his head at Luana as he gave her a half-smile and directed his attention back at Sophocles. "Yes, I'll go with you. It might be fun."

"Great! Will you come too, Kiawe?"

"I'm not very big on technology, but I'm sure it'll be an enjoyable visit at least."

"I want to go to the art supply store on the second floor," Ilima said, looking at Lana and Mallow, "unless someone else has other plans."

"There's an herbal remedy shop I'd like to check out, but I can wait." Mallow smiled at him.

"Now that we are here, I think this is a good time to buy my Dad a new fishing rod. His broke last month and he hasn't been able to go fishing ever since." Lana then went over to one of the signs to look for a floor with a sports store.

"Wait, is that one of your fabrications?" Ilima looked at Lana with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," she started, turning around, "the part about him not fishing for a month is. He borrows my Mom's fishing rod, but I think getting him a new one would be a nice gift."

"Ah, I see!"

"Now that everything is settled, let the shopping begin!" Luana grabbed Lillie and Juliette's hands and ran with the girls towards the Antique Shop. The others left for their respective destinations.

Since the shop was on the ground floor, the girls were able to arrive there quickly. Although the store was small, it had plenty of things to offer. Most of the items had to do with various Legendary Pokémon from different regions. _I might find something related to Kalos legends,_ Juliette told herself. Paintings showing a variety of scenes hung on the shop's beige walls, capturing the attention of the people visiting the venue. Meanwhile, Juliette and her companions prefered checking the shelves in search of something they might like.

"Alola! How can I help you?" A woman who appeared to be in charge of the store approached the girls.

"Alola," Luana greeted her, "We're just looking so far but I'll let you know if we need something, thank you."

"Alright. I hope you and your friends enjoy our store." With those words, the woman left for another spot in the shop.

Lillie glanced at a shelf until a particular item caught her attention. "Look," she called Juliette and Luana, "isn't this one pretty?"

She was referring to a doll that had an upper body visually similar to a Poké Ball. Two smaller spheres served as its shoulders, leading to thin upper arms that continued into large, claw-shaped forearms. Its lower body was much bigger and also spherical in nature, similar to a ball gown.

"Is this supposed to represent an actual Pokémon?" Juliette looked at the figure but avoided touching it out of fear of it breaking.

"It does! It's the Mythical Pokémon Magearna. Isn't it so _cute?!_ " Luana gushed over the delicate Pokemon. Her eyes watered profusely as she spoke, "it's said to be built five hundred years ago as a gift for the king's daughter. Nobody knows if the Pokémon still exists."

"I see, but...why are you crying?" Juliette raised her eyebrows and tried to think of something to say in case Luana happened to be upset all of the sudden.

"Oh, please forgive me," Luana apologized as she wiped away her tears. "I tear up whenever I'm into something very cute. It just sorta happens, is all."

"Ah…" Juliette nodded slowly and sighed in relief. She turned her attention to various items close to her.

One painting caught her attention thanks to the peculiar state it was in. Most of the canvas was burned away. What appeared to be a creature's foot could be seen on the bottom right corner of the remaining canvas. Although faded by the antiquity of the paint, the foot appeared to be a shade of yellow. Three claws jutted out of it as well as a large crystal protruding forwards. Vibrant green grass and flowers were beneath the foot. The creature's environment appeared to be an exuberant field. Juliette shook her head after noticing the painting's price. _Would someone_ _really_ _pay for the remainings of an ancient painting? I never would._

Meanwhile on a different floor, Sophocles, Hau, and Kiawe were inspecting the tech store the first wanted to go to. Its mascot was a shiny Porygon with black rimmed glasses. On the inside, people of all ages looked at the various devices which ranged from smartphones to sophisticated high-end computers. Hau's Alolan Raichu and Sophocles' Togedemaru stared at their surroundings in awe. They were amazed by the amount of electronic devices in the room. Kiawe's Alolan Marowak, however, wasn't that impressed by them and prefered to stick by his Trainer's side.

A new tablet model was on display that was eligible to try. Sophocles approached the device and carefully swiped his finger in an upward motion to unlock the screen.

"The commercials weren't lying. This definitely looks robust enough to last a few years! The screen is big too," Sophocles muttered to himself as he fiddled with several options that changed the letter's size on the screen. Simultaneously, Togedemaru climbed onto his shoulder. "I think Big Mo should have no trouble reading what's on the screen."

"Is this the new gadget you wanted to see?" Kiawe asked Sophocles as he peeked at the screen.

"Yes. It's a new tablet model they launched this week that I wanted to check out myself. I'm considering buying it for my cousin as a gift… I have enough, but that'll be all I have." Sophocles sighed and stared at the price tag. The device was a whooping twenty five thousand Pokédollars.

"You have enough for it?" Kiawe inquired. His question granted him a slight nod from Sophocles.

"I battle more than you might think," Sophocles said with a bold facial expression. "I earned that money myself."

"So...would this tablet be a birthday gift or something?" Hau asked as he mashed random buttons on the screen; opening one app after another as he went.

"Don't do that! It might break!" Sophocles pushed Hau aside and closed all the apps in the blink of an eye. He turned to face Hau and lowered his head in guilt. "I'm sorry for pushing you."

"It's whatever!" Hau had a bright smile on his face.

"To answer your question: No, it's not for his birthday. You see, my cousin only has a small phone to work with while he is away from the Observatory. I think a tablet like this one would be easier on his sight. He can barely see the small letters on the phone screen."

"So you want to buy it so your cousin doesn't have to strain his sight too much. How thoughtful of you!" Kiawe exclaimed.

"It's not that big of a deal…" Sophocles scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink at the comment.

Located on a different floor Ilima, Lana, and Mallow were in the middle of browsing the art supply store. Before that, they went to a shop selling fishing apparel conveniently located close to the establishment Ilima wanted to visit. Lana became fixated on going there first so she could get it out of the way first.

"I'm scared you'll end up knocking something over!" Mallow shot a worried glance at the fishing rod Lana was carrying. It was dangerously close to a stand were a few small buckets of paint were piled up in a pyramid formation.

Lana turned around swiftly and brushed one of the buckets in the process. "Don't worry, I'm being careful. I don't want to get you guys in trouble."

"That was a close call…" Mallow mumbled.

"I think I already have everything I need. Shall we go?" Ilima was loaded with various drawing and painting supplies. His Smeargle helped him by carrying some of said items. The purchase included a couple of sketchbooks, a set of professional brushes, a set of charcoal pencils, and a small can of blue paint.

Mallow nodded. "Sure, let's go!"

Ilima headed for the counter and both him and Smeargle placed the items on it. The clerk scanned all of the supplies one by one and placed them in a paper bag featuring the shop's logo: a Tsareena posing as The Mona Lisa. "That'll be five thousand two hundred fifteen Pokédollars, please," the cashier requested. Ilima gave him the money and after picking up the bag and saying goodbye, he left the store followed by his friends.

"Next is the herbal remedy shop you wanted to visit, right Mallow?" Lana asked.

The green haired girl nodded. "Yes, according to the mall's map it shouldn't be too far from where we are."

After a bit of a walk, the trio found the store. It was a small venue with a stand full of diverse aromatic plants on the outside. Mallow approached it and examined the tags next to each pot.

"If you like any of the pots, you need to make your payment inside," a woman taking care of the stand informed her.

Mallow only nodded as she kept scanning through the plants, her hands resting on her thighs. After a few more seconds, she decided for a particular one. "I'll take this rosemary plant."

"Very well. Feel free to look through the shop and see if you find something else you might like," the woman said in a friendly fashion.

Mallow, Ilima, and Lana entered the store. The smell of all the plants combined hit them like a truck at first but they soon got used to it, especially Mallow and her Phantump. Besides more plants there were other things like natural incense, medicinal herbs, and natural beauty products.

Phantump soon decided to explore the shop on his own. "Please don't stray too much!" Mallow followed her Pokémon with her eyes and then turned around smiling. "I feel like a kid in a toy shop!" She gave a quick glance at the medicinal herb section and grabbed a chamomile sachet along with a lavender one.

"We can tell," Ilima said with a controlled smile. He moved away to take a look at a set of hand painted flower pots.

Lana looked at a shelf with several spices. "I wonder if Mom will like these. It says this one goes well with fish…"

At the same time, Mallow examined a cardboard box containing several kinds of roots. "I wonder if my brother could make use of this Big Root. There's plenty of them at Lush Jungle, but you never know," she thought out loud.

Going back to Juliette and her two companions, now they were in a fancy clothing store located on the same floor as the antique shop. Luana didn't have a hard time persuading Juliette to join them, reminding her their conversation last night about how they would be touring all the clothing shops in Akala Island someday.

"Are you girls sure you don't want to get yourselves anything?" Luana asked as she tried on a white beach hat.

"I already said I'm fine. Maybe next time." Juliette checked her phone. No new messages from any of her family members.

" I'd love to get something but," Lillie sighed, "I don't know if Mother would like it."

Luana became serious for a second before saying, "I see…" She quickly looked up at Lillie and added "Maybe we can invite her to come with us someday!" Luana's usual cheeriness reappeared.

"I don't think that will happen, she is busy most of the time." A sad smile formed on Lillie's visage.

Seeing how she didn't have much to add to the current conversation, Juliette headed for where her Pokémon were. Halbert and Poppy were idly looking at a rack of expensive looking clothes. "I don't understand why people spend so much on...this." Juliette picked a taffy pink dress with frills on the skirt and stared at it with contempt.

"Ooooh!" A long squeal came from behind her making Juliette flinch, "I knew you wouldn't leave with empty hands." Luana's eyes sparkled looking at the dress.

"Ah no, this is a misunderstanding. I was just looki—"

"Nonsense, I'm sure it will look great on you. Guess what? I'll buy it for you." Luana snatched the dress from Juliette's hands and threw it into the basket where she deposited the clothing items that caught her eye. It was almost full.

Juliette let out a harsh sigh. "I said I was just looking, really. I...I don't want any of you to spend extra money on me."

"Don't worry about that. I brought enough to buy what's in the basket." Luana waltzed happily around the store still checking out what the place had to offer.

Lillie looked over at Juliette with an amused smile and the second girl shrugged in response. She complained to her Pokémon, "Won't you guys help me?" Halbert and Poppy walked away from their Trainer while whistling a random tune. _Sometimes I think my Pokémon hate me._

* * *

A couple of hours had gone by since the group arrived to the Shopping Mall. Juliette gave up and allowed Luana to buy the dress with her. She is currently carrying around a paper bag with the shop's logo. She didn't even want to look inside.

Sophocles decided to get the tablet in the end. It was nicely wrapped in gift wrap. Kiawe took the opportunity to buy his sister some earphones so she could listen to music wherever she wanted. Hau, on his part, caved in and bought himself some more malasadas from the mall's shop.

Mallow ended up buying two Big Roots; one for her brother and another for her family's restaurant. She also bought several spices and medicinal herbs as well as the rosemary plant that caught her attention outside. Lana and Ilima didn't buy anything extra.

The split groups gathered together once again in the front of the mall's entrance way. They were all ready to leave. "I think this was a very productive trip. Did everyone buy what they wanted?" Luana asked.

"Almost everyone…" Juliette muttered under her breath looking at her bag out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, it was about time I renewed my drawing material. This shopping trip was what I needed." Despite how full his bag was, Ilima carried it with ease.

"Teacher!" a childish voice called out behind them.

Ilima turned around and saw a tan skinned little boy accompanied by his Rockruff. Ilima crouched to get on his level. "Hi Jimmy! What brings you here?"

"I came here with some friends but they already left." The little boy approached the group.

"Are you going home then?"

Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows and looked away, but soon his face lit up. "I was gonna, but there's something important I have to tell you, Teacher."

"Really? What is it?"

"Did you hear about the rumors surrounding our school?" Jimmy's voice had suddenly turned low and serious. His facial expression turned eerie.

Ilima shook his head. "No, I haven't heard about anything out of the ordinary. What are these rumors about if you can tell me?"

"I heard from other kids that weird things happen at the school at night," Jimmy said. "Everyone believes it but I don't and I want to prove them wrong."

Luana playfully shoved Ilima away and crouched in front of the child. "What kind of _weird things_ are we talking about?"

"Like hauntings and stuff." Jimmy swayed on his feet.

"A haunted school? Sounds like a thrill!" Luana shifted her attention to Ilima and gave him a cutesy stare. "Can we go check it out tonight? Pretty please?"

"Going to a haunted school sounds like a great plan," Lana intervened with her eyes sparkling, "I'm running out of ideas for horror stories to tell my sisters and I'd love to get new material."

Lillie tensed at the idea. "We're going to a haunted school?" After less than a second, she suddenly let out an exclamation, "I just remembered I should be going back home. Today is...board game night. I can't join unfortunately."

"Don't worry Lillie, I'll make sure the let you know all about it tomorrow." Luana winked at her friend causing Lillie to shrink a bit.

"Who else wants to go? Now's your chance." Jimmy challenged as his Rockruff squirmed in his arms in attempt to jump away. "Don't worry Rockruff, you know ghosts don't exist!"

Mallow shuddered but tried to hide it. "I really, really don't like the idea and if something weird happens I think I won't go anywhere at night for a long time but...I'm still curious."

"I agree with Mallow," Kiawe took a step forward, "I'm not a fan of the idea either but if she goes, then I'll go too."

"Thank you!" Mallow smiled at her friend and let out a sigh of relief.

Ilima looked at Hau, Juliette, and Sophocles, "Are you three coming with us as well?"

"Sure, why not? Since we'll all be together, nothing bad should happen," Hau said.

"Hau is right, we have nothing to fear as long as we stick together." Sophocles gave the group a half-smile.

Juliette gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't mind. I'm a bit tired but I will still join."

"Thanks everyone!" Jimmy jumped triumphantly. "We'll be the ones to disprove my classmates' rumors."

What started as a chill day out turned into something more and—to a greater or lesser extent—nearly everyone was ready for whatever the night had in store for them. Little did they know, however, there were surprises waiting for them between the walls of Melemele's Trainers' School.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Big night out**

 _This feels like a spy movie cliche,_ Juliette told herself as she rolled her eyes.

She stood at the back of the group watching Ilima try to figure out which key would open the school's gate. Jimmy urged his teacher to hurry up because he wanted to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

The group spent the hours before their incursion at Luana's house. They worked hard on designing a plan they deemed foolproof. All they needed to do was split up, much like they did back at the shopping mall. The Pokémon accompanied by their respective trainers were all raring to go.

After messing around with the keys for five solid minutes, the gate finally creaked open. "This is one of the perks of being a teacher," Ilima turned around and faced his companions, "I get to keep a copy of the school gate's key. Good thing I didn't forget to pick it up on the way here!"

"Yeah, but you took your sweet time to figure out which one was the exact key." Lana pointed out with a mocking smile.

"That's not important right now. Let's get going!" Jimmy and his Rockruff ran into the campus and left everyone surprised.

Hau laughed and put his arms behind his head. "He sure is eager for someone going into a haunted school."

" _Don't say that!_ " Kiawe and Mallow shuddered and avoided eyeing the building.

Lana turned towards the duo. "Say what, 'haunted school'?" The serious look the duo gave her made Lana change her mind. "Okay okay, I was joking!"

Ilima cleared his throat and gave everyone a stern look. "It's time to stop bickering. We need to give our plan a recap. Luana," he eyed the girl, "you and Jimmy will stay with me on the ground floor. Hau, Juliette, and Sophocles will spread across the courtyard. Then you'll go to the first floor."

"What about me and the two scaredy Meowth?" Lana asked.

"You lot will inspect the top floor. I'm sure this won't take long," Ilima answered her question as he smiled with confidence. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as haunted buildings."

"I hope so..." Mallow hugged herself in an attempt to hide her shivering.

The crew walked through the gate. Every light within the building were out. Only some nearby streetlights and Kiawe's Marowak helped light up the place. Soon after everyone accessed the courtyard, Jimmy and his Rockruff appeared. The boy frowned as he approached his teacher.

"There's a little girl in here." He pointed at a sign standing in the middle of the campus. "I'm pretty sure she's one of my classmates trying to prank us."

"Really now?" Ilima craned his neck and took a good look in the direction Jimmy pointed at. "I'm afraid I don't see anyone."

"What do you mean you don't see anyone?"

Jimmy turned around and looked at the sign. Sure enough, nobody was there.

Sophocles yawned. "What is this, a horror B-movie?"

"No," Jimmy shouted and held up his hands, "I swear she was there! She was with a Drifloon and all. Right, Rockruff?"

The Pokémon nodded and barked in response. Ilima walked a couple of meters away from the group and looked around. "I don't mind helping you disprove these rumors, but I hope this won't end up being a futile effort. I need to wake up early tomorrow, for that I have some exams to correct."

"Good, now we can go home." Kiawe tried to walk away, but Luana stopped him.

"No one is going home yet. We need to inspect this place first." She smiled slyly.

"If we are going to check what's going on," Juliette spoke so lowly her voice was almost inaudible, "we should start now. I'm sure most of us would rather be home now."

Since her voice was so small, no one heard her. Not even Hau, who was near her all the time. Instead, he approached Ilima and said something in his ear.

"Fine, we will do that." Ilima cleared his throat to get the groups attention. "Alright friends, Hau told me he should be going home soon but he doesn't want to miss this. It's time to stop chatting, let's go!"

Jimmy and Luana soon followed after Ilima. The rest stood in the courtyard not too sure about what to do next.

"I'm not doing this," Mallow told Kiawe. "We must try leaving when everyone is distracted."

"Remember what Luana said earlier?" Lana grabbed Mallow and Kiawe by their wrists and dragged the two with her. "No one is leaving until we solve this mystery. This is not the time to Torchic out."

Juliette, Hau, and Sophocles were then left alone outside the school. They watched the building's lights light up floor by floor. An awkward silence had settled among them.

"Uh," Sophocles tapped his foot on the ground, "what should we do next? Do you guys have any idea?"

Juliette gave him a fleeting look and shrugged. Hau closed his eyes and meditated. After a few seconds, he exclaimed and slammed his fist against his palm in triumph.

"How about we split up ourselves?"

Sophocles sighed and rolled his eyes. "That's a very simple idea for your reaction, but it works."

"I'm sorry it's not that impressive." Hau joked, adopting a more serious attitude afterward. "Sophocles, you watch on the right side of the campus. I'll keep an eye on the tennis courts. Juliette," he turned towards the girl, "you stay on the left side, okay? There's an incinerator, so be careful."

"Don't worry Hau." _I'm not that dumb._

"Alright, Sophocles and I won't be too far away. We can call for each other if we need help." Hau picked up his Alolan Raichu and let him climb on his shoulder. "Now, let's go!"

Sophocles and Hau left with their Pokémon to their designated spots. That left Juliette alone with Halbert and Poppy. She ambled towards the western side of the yard followed by her Pokémon. Once she spotted the famous incinerator, Juliette decided to stay behind a shrub of pink flowers. It wasn't too far from it. She and her Pokémon had a clear view of their surroundings from where they hid.

Although she was crouching, Juliette still managed to get comfortable. While Hau and Sophocles weren't too far away, she felt alone for the first time in nearly two days. _Being able to spend some time alone with my Pokémon is great. The sky looks amazing tonight._

Soon Juliette forgot she was supposed to pay attention to what happened around her. She distracted herself gazing at the starry sky and trying to identify the different constellations. Halbert and Poppy accompanied her and stared up at the sky in silence. After a bit, Juliette directed her attention to the pink flowers before her. Rhododendron to be exact. She took one of the flowers in her hands and smelled it. Its scent was of honey and pollen. Poppy soon joined her Trainer in sniffing the flowers. Halbert crouched beside his Trainer and limited himself to observe the flowerets.

A sudden noise broke the night's silence and interrupted Juliette and her Pokémon. It sounded like someone was sniffing. Slow but determined steps accompanied the sound. Juliette and her Pokémon perked up. The teen peered through the shrub's branches. A young girl clad in green and white tennis apparel walked right past her. What she said next froze Juliette's blood.

"I should...I should...burn."

Juliette rubbed her temples. _What should I do? How come Hau nor Sophocles saw her first? I'm sure she's headed for the incinerator and I'm too scared to look..._

She took a hold of her Pokémon and shifted her position to be able to peek from behind the wall. The girl in green and white started the incinerator, still crying. Juliette hugged her Pokémon tightly for comfort. Although she was afraid of witnessing whatever would happen next, she couldn't take her eyes away from the girl.

The girl in front of the incinerator opened the machine's door. Juliette could see small flames starting to rise within the incinerator. At that point, she covered Halbert and Poppy's eyes.

"I guess this is goodbye..." The girl sobbed.

Juliette let out a loud gasp and squeezed her eyes shut. She braced herself to start hearing agonizing screams like in horror movies. However, all she heard was a girly shriek close to her. Juliette opened her eyes with hesitation and looked up slowly.

"Who the heck are you?" The girl she and her Pokémon were observing was now in front of them and she didn't look happy.

Juliette stammered not knowing what to say. She thought the young girl was about to do something foolish. She didn't know how to tell her without sounding overdramatic. That was until a realization hit her: could that be related to the rumors surrounding the school?

She avoided eye contact with the girl. Instead, Juliette looked at her red flower hair clip. "You s-see...I have a question. I've been hearing rumors about this school. Apparently, some weird things have been happening at night and—"

The young athlete raised her voice. "Are you soft in the head? What rumors are you talking about? I'm here to burn some letters from my ex. Can't a girl burn a package of letters in the middle of the night without having a weirdo spy her?"

Juliette shrunk back and directed her gaze at the floor. _Talking to her was a bad idea._ Knowing that, she still tried one last time. "Uh... Won't you regret burning these letters?"

" _Why are you asking_?" The young teen yelled at Juliette and made her flinch. "Didn't your parents teach you not to put your nose into people's business?"

Juliette held up her hands. "I was worried because I thought you were about to—"

"Blessed Tapu, shut up already! You are about to witness the power of a girl with a fragile heart!" In the blink of an eye, she sent out a Growlithe that seemed confused about what was going on around it.

"I can't believe we are doing this…" Juliette turned her face away from the girl and looked at her Pokémon, who were not too far behind her. She knew who to turn to. "Halbert, I need your help."

Meanwhile in the school's top floor Mallow, Lana, and Kiawe patrolled the area. Mallow and Kiawe avoided straying from the stairs in case something strange happened and stuck close to their respective Pokémon. Meanwhile, Lana sat on a bean bag chair close to a bookshelf and yawned from time to time.

"It's a shame nothing extraordinary happened so far. If this doesn't change soon, I will end up falling asleep."

Mallow shook her head. "It _better_ stay this way."

"You might be too afraid of the possibility of facing a ghost, but I'm not." Lana got up and approached Mallow. "Don't you think it would make a good anecdote to tell others?"

"But Lana," Kiawe sighed, "people wouldn't believe us if we told them about us encountering a ghost."

"Don't worry, I know plenty of people who would believe u—"

A gross sound coming from the stairs interrupted Lana. It sounded like something slimy in nature slithered up the stairs. Mallow and Kiawe froze in place and shot a disgusted glance in the sound's direction.

"W-well," Kiawe stuttered, "maybe it's j-just Luana dragging something around the s-stairs to scare us."

"No, I don't think it's that." Lana got up and walked towards the railing, looking over it. There was nothing strange to see. She turned around to face Mallow and Kiawe. "There's nothing. Now stop being paranoid. This is supposed to be entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Mallow's eyes went wide. "Sorry, but I don't agree. I can't say I'm having fun."

"Me neither. I'd prefer being home now. They, on the other hand," Kiawe said, looking first at his Marowak and then at Mallow's Phantump, "don't look too fazed."

"Of course not, they're part Ghost type." After a few seconds of silence, Lana continued. "It's ironic. You two are afraid of hauntings, yet you own Ghost type Pokémon!"

"That has nothing to do with anything," Kiawe protested. "Besides, a Pokémon is not the same as an actual ghost."

Lana and her Araquanid drew closer. "Why not? Explain the difference."

"I can't explain why. I simply don't think one thing can be compared to the other." Kiawe walked away from Lana. "Now, let's resume—"

Before Kiawe could finish his sentence, all three—and their Pokémon—heard the same noise from before. Their silence allowed the trio to hear whatever made the mysterious sound get closer. The gross sound became louder with each passing second. Mallow looked towards the stairs and then turned her face towards her friends.

"We need to find somewhere to hide. Quick!" Mallow clutched her Phantump. The Pokémon flailed her tiny arms in protest. "The lockers could be a good hiding place."

"I agree. I'm not staying here to get caught by whatever is climbing the stairs. Let's go, Marowak." Kiawe followed his friend who had already opened the door to one of the lockers.

Lana and her Araquanid preferred to stay behind. Not only was she willing to be alone, but she also leaned against the rail to wait for the supposed monster coming their way. Kiawe had enough and went back to Lana, grabbed her by the wrist, and guided her towards the lockers.

"Hey! I want to see who our slimy friend is and so does Araquanid, Right, Araquanid?" The Water Bubble Pokémon simply gave her a quizzical look.

"We can't stay there. We don't know what's coming our way. Now, hide in the locker." Kiawe said as he let go of Lana's wrist.

"What if Araquanid doesn't fit inside?" Lana looked at the doors.

"Return her to her Poké Ball then." While they talked, the sound grew closer. Kiawe opened the locker and carefully pushed Lana inside. "We don't have much time left. Call her back!"

"Alright, alright. I got it." Lana took out her Araquanid's Poké Ball and returned her. She then closed the door only to peer through its ventilation.

Kiawe and his Marowak walked into the locker next to Mallow's. Saying an eerie silence fell on them wouldn't be accurate. Their breathing and the perplexing slimy sound approaching them filled their ears.

"It's too dark in there," Mallow's voice trembled. "Kiawe at least has his Marowak to light up the locker."

"I beg to differ," Lana answered. "Darkness makes this situation all the more exciting. I bet my sisters will love thi—"

A loud bang on Lana's door interrupted her. Whoever knocked was either impatient or angry. Mallow and Kiawe prayed Lana wasn't foolish enough to answers the knocks, but a terrified scream escaped them when they heard her locker's door opening.

"Hello, hello!" A cheery voice spoke. "May I know what are you doing there at this time?"

Mallow and Kiawe opened their lockers enough to take a peek. The owner of the voice was a tall and muscular blond man. An Alolan Grimer stood next to him.

"It's...a long story," Lana answered.

Mallow, Kiawe, and their Pokémon got out of the lockers. Kiawe approached the man. "Who are you?"

"Oh, me? I'm the janitor's grandson." he pointed at Grimer. "This is my buddy, Grimo. We came to clean the lockers so students find them clean when they come back on Monday. Isn't it a nice gesture?"

"Yes, you can say that..." Mallow murmured.

"Anyways," the janitor's grandson continued, "the real question here is, who are you guys?"

Lana cleared her throat loudly. "We came here with some friends because a student in this school told us it was haunted."

"No, no!" Mallow wagged her index finger from left to right.

"It's a misunderstanding," Kiawe said, "we came to help a friend of ours that works here as a teacher. We were about to leave."

"I see." The blond man nodded, giving them a skeptical look. "Grimo and I will continue with our duty. Please avoid hiding in the lockers from now on, 'kay?"

"We promise we won't do it again. We are sorry." Mallow bowed her head and her Phantump mimicked her gesture.

"No worries, it's alright! We'll check the lockers at the end of the hallway. Let's hope they're empty." The janitor's grandson and his Alolan Grimer walked away from the trio.

When the man and his Pokémon were far enough, Lana spoke. "See, wasn't that exciting?"

Mallow shook her head. "I can't say this is my idea of a good time."

Kiawe plopped down on a bean bag chair and sighed. "I'm hoping whatever happens next is not as unnerving."

* * *

On the ground floor, Jimmy paced across the hall trying to find an answer to what he saw on the campus. "I bet they're hiding somewhere," he thought out loud. "She must be waiting to give us all a fright."

Ilima approached the little boy. "This girl you speak of and her Drifloon might be hiding in one of the classrooms on this floor."

"How do you know?"

"They disappeared soon after you told us about her presence. I'm thinking the little girl ran into the building and chose to hide here on the ground floor. They needed to hide pronto, after all."

Luana clapped her hands. "Ilima, you sound like a detective right now!"

The young man smiled at her comment. "It's what I believe, but I could be wrong in the end."

"This is enough. Follow me, Rockruff," Jimmy said as he started to walk away. "Rockruff and I are going to look for that girl and her Drifloon."

"Wait," Luana called for them, "before we do that, I want to see how Kiawe and the others are doing. I promise I'll be back soon!"

"Come on!" Jimmy sighed harshly and crossed his arms.

"Alright then, but please be quick," Ilima said.

"Don't worry guys, me and Anu will be back soon." Luana headed for the stairs and Anu followed her with his tail raised upward.

Both walked up the stairs at a fast pace and quickly reached the second floor. They were about to head for the following set of stairs but were interrupted when Luana felt a strong current of cold air coming from behind her. Anu's hair stood on end and he scooted closer to his owner. Startled, Luana turned around. There was nothing at the end of the stairs.

"There's probably an open window somewhere on this floor," she thought out loud. Luana tried to continue, but deep down she knew that current wasn't normal. The air felt way too cold for an Alolan spring night. "I should tell Jimmy and Ilima about this. Let's go, Anu."

The girl and her Alolan Persian walked down the stairs only focusing on the steps. When they made it to the ground floor, Luana lifted up her eyes expecting to see Jimmy and Ilima but...no one was there.

As a matter of fact, Luana and Anu weren't even on the ground floor. With stupefaction, Luana realized they were still on the second floor. The environment was still cold.

"Jimmy? Ilima? Can you guys hear me?" Luana let a few seconds go by, but she obtained no answer. "Guys?"

Again, she was met with nothing but silence. Only the pounding of her heart inside her chest reached her ears. She crouched next to Anu—who was shaking—and petted his head. "We're both worried, but we need to try walking down the stairs again. If we try enough, we should be able to reach the ground floor."

Anu nodded his head. He followed his Trainer down the stairs one more time. Unfortunately for them, they were still trapped on the second floor and the air was even colder than before. Luana braced herself and shivered in place. "This is getting too weird for my taste..."

In the meantime, Jimmy and Ilima still waited for them on the ground floor. They couldn't imagine what was going down two floors above them.

Jimmy had his arms crossed. "What's taking her so long?"

"You see," Ilima answered softly, "Luana is a conversational individual. She's probably having a nice talk with our friends now."

Jimmy sighed and shook his head, keeping his eyes fixated on the stairs.

Far from what Jimmy and Ilima imagined, Luana and Anu were still having a hard time. They tried going down the stairs one, two, three more times, but to no avail. Desperation began to take over Luana. Refusing to walk down the stairs only to get the same result again, she plodded across the corridor.

"I need to clear my mind and try to make sense of what's happening."

For that purpose, Luana and her Pokémon stopped in front of a bulletin board. The girl eyed the papers pinned on it. Nothing there was out of the ordinary, only typical school stuff. After a brief moment, however, one of them caught her attention. It was a piece of paper with four numbered black stains, one on each corner.

"Oh," Luana thought out loud, "this has to be nothing but someone being exposed for cheating on a test." She looked down at Anu. "Let's try going down the stairs again."

When Luana turned around, she noticed something strange about the corridor. The corners were sparkling in an odd way. She looks at the other direction, the corners of the opposite end were sparkling as well.

Luana crossed her arms and directed her gaze to the floor. _What is this all about?_ She didn't notice the sparkles when she decided to walk across the corridor. It looked like they appeared only recently. But when?

She paced in front of the bulletin board when an idea hatched in her mind. Could it be...?

"Those ink blots are on either corner of the paper just like the sparkles. What if they're connected? Anu," she called, "let's take a look at that paper again."

Luana stared at the paper to make sure the order of the black dots stuck in her mind. The first two were on the leftmost side of the corridor. The first one was in the left corner and the second, to its right. On the right side, the order was the opposite. The blot marked as number three was on Luana's right. The fourth and last, on the left corner.

"Okay, Anu…see these shiny spots?" Luana pointed at them. "We need to step on them both at the same time and in the same order."

Obeying his Trainer, Anu followed Luana. Both stepped on three of the four sparkling corners at the same time. As they did, the cold air flowing from the stairs started to calm. Luana's body recovered some of its warmth. _I might end up catching a cold with these sudden temperature changes._

They stepped on the fourth spot. The cold had subsided at last and the sparkles disappeared.

"We might be able to go down the stairs now!" Luana rushed towards the stairs with Anu hot on her heels.

Everything was back to normal…or so it seemed. As soon as Luana put her foot on the fourth step, something cold hit the back of her neck. Her whole body went stiff.

Several seconds went by until she could articulate a word. " _Ilima! Jimmy!_ " Hearing his Trainer yell made Anu jump a few meters back.

A gust of cold air circled around Luana. She could tell the rest of the room was at an usual temperature except for whatever surrounded her. She could feel it orbit around her head.

That gust soon materialized into a dark ball of gas, finally revealing who was behind the second floor's strange temperature. At that moment Jimmy, Ilima, and their respective Pokémon ran their way upstairs.

"A Gastly!" Jimmy raised his eyebrows.

Ilima eyed the Pokémon surrounding Luana. "So this is why you didn't come back right away…"

"Please help me! Anu has never battled before and I don't want him to get hurt."

"Don't worry Luana, Smeargle and I will take care o—"

"No," Jimmy interrupted his teacher, "I want to battle that Gastly myself."

"Are you sure?" Ilima's tone became a bit stern.

"Yes, I am. This should be easy. Now Rockruff," Jimmy stood next to his Pokémon, "use Rock Throw!"

Rockruff threw several pointed rocks at Gastly, but the Ghost type dodged them. Now that Luana was finally free from Gastly, she ran back to Anu and picked him up. She rushed towards the stairs and asked Jimmy to be careful, following Ilima down the stairs afterward.

Angered by Rockruff's attack, Gastly charged for the small Pokémon and attacked him using Lick. Rockruff flinched at the attack in disgust but luckily for Jimmy, he didn't get paralyzed. In the middle of this Lana and the others, who still were on the top floor, peeked out of the railing.

"Is everything alright?" Mallow eyed Jimmy with concern.

"Yeah," the little boy responded. "It's just that Luana got scared by this Gastly here."

Lana leaned on the railing, willing to watch the battle. "Poor girl. She probably didn't see it coming."

During the whole commotion Juliette, Hau, Sophocles, and their respective Pokémon entered the school. They did so through the entrance on the opposite side of the school, which was further away from the rest of the group. As they walked up the stairs, Juliette told them about what she saw on the campus.

Hau and his Alolan Raichu walked a few steps ahead of their companions. "Good thing you had Halbert with you! That girl sure was weird."

"What's _really_ weird is how neither of you saw her before I did," Juliette said.

"I swear I didn't see anyone and neither did Togedemaru. If so, we would have dealt with her ourselves."

The trio reached the first floor. Hau sighed. "I hope this investigation doesn't take much longer. Tomorrow my Tutu and I are visiting the Ruins of Conflict and we should head to bed soon."

"That sounds like a good plan." Sophocles nodded. "I'm hoping we can go back home soon too. I'm feeling a bit tired."

Not even a second after Sophocles finished his sentence, a static sound erupted from the speakers. Juliette flinched at the unexpected noise.

"That's strange..." Sophocles looked at the ceiling, trying to locate the speakers. "Could someone have left the microphone on?"

"To me, it sounds more like someone just turned it on. Should we check the teacher's lounge?" Hau suggested.

"The PA system is usually in a different room, but it wouldn't hurt to check."

"Yeah, we should cover all the possibilities," Juliette said, leaning against a wall.

Sophocles gestured for them to follow him. The trio and their Pokémon walked across the hallway until they found the teacher's lounge. Strangely enough, the door wasn't locked.

Sophocles opened the door. The same sound from before could be heard, but it didn't faze them. No one was in the room. They walked around in search of the PA system, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"I already said it would be in a different room." The blond boy sighed.

Ignoring what Sophocles said, Hau sat down in one of the room's various office chairs. Not content with sitting still, he made the chair spin. His Alolan Raichu hopped onto the chair next to him and imitated his Trainer with a squeal of joy.

"Hey! This is not the time to play around," Sophocles scolded them. "We should be looking for a broadcast room."

"Sorry, I spent so much time standing up outside that I couldn't help it."

"Okay, but don—"

Before Sophocles could continue, the static noise from the speakers interrupted him. This time it was a bit louder. The previous two times it stopped after a couple of seconds, but now it lasted longer. When Juliette and her partners thought things couldn't get stranger, a voice emerged among the static.

 _"You...you...can't...get out."_

"Uh...no, I'm not staying here!" Hau jumped to his feet and rushed towards the door.

Followed by the others, Hau opened the door with a swift movement, but all his hopes of leaving that room behind disappeared as he bumped into an unknown figure. The boy looked up slowly without knowing what to expect.

"What are you kids doing here at night on a Saturday?" A tall man stood in front of them and a Slowpoke was just catching up to him.

Hau was quick to answer. "My friends and I saw the school open and we wanted to see why."

"Yeah, we were about to leave," Sophocles added.

The man shook his head. "You three are quite curious, aren't you? I'm assuming you heard the broadcast then."

"What broadcast?"

"You see, the speaker has been acting weird lately, so I went to the broadcast room to fix it. When I finished I tried to leave, but this guy here," the man said, gesturing towards his Slowpoke, "fell asleep and blocked the door. I was having a hard time waking him up and I couldn't open the door."

Hau snorted and turned his head to look at Sophocles and Juliette. "So that's why we heard that."

"Slowpoke and I are leaving now. Goodnight and be careful on the way home!" The repairman and his Slowpoke walked away down the hall.

Once he left, the trio exited the teacher's lounge. Sophocles closed the door and they walked away from it for a bit before the boy spoke. "Should we go to a different floor and see what the others are up to?"

"Yeah. Besides, I don't think we have much left to do here," Hau agreed.

The trio and their respective Pokémon walked up the stairs. On the next floor, they found Jimmy accompanied by Ilima and Luana. The girl approached them with a smile across her face.

"It's nice to see everything is back to normal."

"What do you mean?" Sophocles asked.

Ilima cleared his throat. "A wild Gastly was causing an illusion which made Luana stuck here on the second floor, but—"

Jimmy interrupted the teacher. "My Rockruff dealt with him and we taught em' a lesson!"

"That's a naughty Gastly," Hau laughed. "We just came from the first floor and we experienced our fair share of weirdness."

"Really? How?" Luana approached him.

"It's easy to explain," Sophocles started. "We were in the teacher's lounge and there was a repairman fiddling with the speaker on the broadcast room."

"Then his Slowpoke fell asleep in front of the door and he couldn't get out, but from what we heard it sounded like someone was telling us we couldn't leave."

"Wow, that's freaky!" Luana's eyes went wide.

Juliette didn't take part in the conversation. Instead, she had her back leaned against the wall with Halbert and Poppy by her side. She observed as Jimmy proclaimed they were done with the investigation. They proved the rumors of a haunted school to be fake.

Ilima called for Lana, Mallow, and Kiawe to join them. "We're finally done here. It's time to go home."

The three teens and their Pokémon appeared in the blink of an eye. Mallow and Kiawe were half running down the stairs while Lana walked at a calmer pace.

"Had I spent another minute here, I would have lost my mind!" Mallow said with a huff.

The group headed for the stairs among lively chatter, but something interrupted them. It was the sound of childish laughter coming from one of the classrooms. They all stared at each other in silence, surprise and confusion etched on their faces.

"I'll check what's happening." Ilima turned away from the group. "Please, wait for me downstairs."

Jimmy sprinted towards him. "I'm not staying downstairs. I want to see what's going on too. Maybe that little girl I saw before is the one laughing."

Ilima rested his chin on his hand in thought. He remained silent for a few seconds. "You may be right. Come with me."

Jimmy picked up his Rockruff and followed Ilima. When the two were at a considerable distance, Luana turned around to the group and spoke, "We should go and see what happens after they open the door."

Hau leaned closer to the girl. "Did you pull a prank on them?"

"No! You know I don't like doing those kind of things. I want to see what's going on, that's all."

"Okay. Let's go, then!" Hau marched ahead of the group.

The teens and their Pokémon walked across the corridor until reaching the classroom Jimmy and Ilima were in. The door was open and the two males stood in the doorway.

"What's the matter?" Lana stood behind Jimmy. "Oh..."

Nobody knew what to say about the scene in front of them. In this classroom and in the middle of the night, a class was in progress. A young woman with short, black hair and glasses led the class.

"Good morning, kids!" she greeted. "Let's have an amazing and productive day." A wide smile crossed her face as the children greeted her back.

Ilima walked towards the teacher. "Hello, may I know what's going on?"

The teacher looked at him from head to toe and smiled. She turned to look at Juliette and the others. "I see we have lots of new faces today! Why don't you introduce yourselves to the class?"

"But the students are little children," Mallow said, her eyes darting around the room. "We're too old to study here."

A little boy sitting in the last row revolved in his chair and stared at Mallow dead in the eye. "A person is never too old to make new friends. You'll join us, right?"

Another kid looked at Luana blankly. "Hi!" she greeted him, but the boy kept his eyes fixed on her without a word.

The teacher gestured for them to come to the front of the class. "Please, introduce yourselves to the class."

The group and their Pokémon headed for the desk in silence as the children scrutinized them. They all stood next to each other, forming a line. Juliette stood at the leftmost end of it, hoping to be the last one to introduce herself.

"Very well, let's start from the left!" The teacher grinned widely, pointing at Juliette.

 _Bon sang!_ Juliette blinked rapidly and forced a smile to grace her lips. "My name is Juliette and I was born in the Kalos region. I moved to Alola recently and I, uh..." she looked over at her friends. Only Luana returned the glance. "...I hope we can become friends. That's all."

"Well said, Juliette. Your turn!" The teacher pointed at Sophocles.

"Good night...or morning." The boy looked at the teacher. She smiled and nodded, encouraging him to continue. "My name is Sophocles and I live with my family in Ula'ula island." He then lowered his voice so nobody could hear him. "This isn't my school..."

The teacher nodded. "That was short but to the point. Let's continue!" It was Hau's turn.

"Hi!" He waved at the class. "My name is Hau and I live here, in Melemele Island. My grandfather is this island Kahuna and other than that, I don't know what else to say."

The teacher giggled at Hau's comment. After that, she gave the floor to Kiawe, then to Mallow, and so on until she reached Ilima. "Well, what would you like to tell your new friends?"

Ilima's eyes went from one kid to another. What was he going to say? He couldn't tell them he was a teacher. That would confuse them. These children thought the people in front of them would join their class as fellow students. Ilima hesitated a few seconds until he found the right answer in his mind.

"Hello all, my name is Ilima and I'm a very experienced student. I'm looking forward to helping everyone in this class with any doubt you may have."

"Huh, that's nice." The teacher smiled and looked at her students. "Now that we know more about our new friends, please be nice to them!"

All the children cheered and clapped with their tiny hands. They talked to each other about how they wanted to play with "the new kids."

In the middle of the revelry, Ilima walked over to the teacher with his arms crossed. "I'm well acquainted with this school but I've never seen you. May I ask who you are?"

The teacher's cheery smile disappeared to give way to a poker face. That sudden change managed to make Ilima shudder. Her face wasn't the only thing that changed. The woman's mouth opened and a guttural noise escaped her throat.

"I...Drifloon..."

"What?!" Jimmy sprinted towards where Ilima and the teacher stood.

"Drif...loon...child...lonely..."

Immediately after those words the woman shrunk in size, adopting a grotesque body shape. In the blink of an eye, the teacher was no longer there. A Hypno took her place. The Pokémon looked at Ilima and sniggered.

Mallow jumped a few steps back and screamed. Kiawe threw his hands up and proclaimed he had enough. The classroom was absolute chaos. Everyone had moved away from the desk and the Hypno stood there laughing at their reaction. Juliette looked at the door thinking of how she would cross it running at any moment. The children, on their part, observed the scene like it was just another school lesson.

Mallow grabbed Lana by her shoulders. "We need to go!"

"No." Lana shook her head. "This is too much fun."

Because of the commotion, nobody noticed one of the kids in the last row get up and walk towards them. They didn't notice him until he snatched Luana's Shiny Charm from her right wrist.

Luana gasped loudly. "Hey, give it back! It's mine!"

The thief happened to be the same kid that had been looking at her moments before. The boy smirked and headed for the window.

"What is he doing?" Sophocles started sweating.

The kid climbed to the window sill among screams of horror. His companions were still staring at the blackboard ahead of them. Kiawe ran towards the kid and tried to grab him but before he could, the kid was no longer a kid. He transformed into a Zorua and leaped out of the window.

Kiawe rubbed his eyes vigorously. "You've seen the same as me, right?"

He got no answer. Luana crossed the door like a Zubat out of a cave. Anu tried his best to follow her running at least a meter behind Luana. Her friends and their Pokémon left the classroom, also running behind her.

"What will my dad say if I tell him I lost his Shiny Charm?" Tears were starting to cloud Luana's vision.

"You need to recover it! We'll find that Zorua," Hau breathed as he finally caught up to Luana.

The girl wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she ran. "I _have_ to battle it. But Anu can't do that..."

"Don't worry." Ilima sprinted next to the girl. "I will lend you my Smeargle. You _will_ get your Shiny Charm back."

Luana stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at Ilima in silence for a couple of seconds and then pulled him in for a tight hug. "Thank you so much for offering your help. It means a lot to me."

"It's not a problem," the boy smiled. "I'm always willing to help out a friend."

The group left the building shortly after. They scattered across the campus and began calling for the stealing Zorua.

Luana stood in the middle of one of the tennis courts. "Zorua, give me back my Shiny Charm!"

Meanwhile, Lana searched by looking inside every single trash can on the campus.

"Why are you looking in the trash?" Sophocles peeked into one of the trash cans.

"Because it never hurts to consider all the possibilities," Lana said.

Everyone spent a few more minutes walking around the campus. There was no sign of the Pokémon anywhere and Luana felt a hint of desperation. Her friends tried to comfort her and reassured they would stumble across the problematic creature sooner or later.

Luckily for Luana, they were right. Over twenty minutes after starting the search, Hau alerted the group. "It's here!"

Luana ran to where Hau was. He was standing by the shed on the right side of the campus and, sure enough, Zorua was there. The Pokémon snickered at Luana as it waved its tail. The girl's Shiny Charm hung there, secured, but that's not the only thing Luana noticed.

"Wait a second..." Luana approached the Pokémon with a couple of careful steps. "Zouras aren't normally blue. It's shiny!"

"Wow!" Lana exclaimed. "You noticed that now?"

"You knew it was shiny?" Mallow asked.

"No," Lana shook her head. "I'm only surprised she didn't notice something like that until now, knowing her."

"Luana," Kiawe called to her, "you should try to catch it, then. You will also retrieve your Shiny Charm if you do."

Luana looked over at him and nodded vigorously. Then she turned her attention to Ilima. "I need Smeargle now. I have to weaken Zorua beforehand."

"Sure." Ilima crouched beside his Pokémon. "Smeargle, I need you to help Luana for a bit."

The Pokémon nodded and walked over to Luana. Meanwhile, Anu observed his Trainer at a safe distance. Luana stared at the wild Zorua trying to guess what it would do next. _Should we attack first? Should I wait until it does?_ Zorua answered her thoughts by sneaking behind Smeargle and attacking him when his guard was down.

"Feint Attack, huh?" Luana placed her hand on her chin in thought. She knew the attacks Ilima's Smeargle knew and they were powerful. She had to be careful. "Alright Smeargle, since I'm trying to catch this Pokémon, you'll have to try not to get too carried away when you attack, okay? Now, use Flamethrower!"

Smeargle released a stream of flames aimed at the wild Zorua, making a direct hit on it. The attack sent Zorua a few meters back but it immediately stood up again, coughing. Zorua stared at Smeargle while pouting and, to everyone's surprise, it began crying as loud as it could.

Luana lowered her head. _I hate that it's using Fake Tears...but I must understand it's only a strategy to trick us._ The girl directed her gaze at Smeargle again. "Smeargle, use Extreme Speed this time."

The Pokémon charged towards Zorua surrounded by a transparent aura. When Smeargle reached Zorua, he was a little more than a blur. The Zorua cried out upon being hit and struggled to get up.

Luana thought that was the perfect time to toss a Poké Ball. Seeing the state Zorua was in, maybe she would get lucky and a single try would suffice. She reached for one of the Poké Balls in her bag and threw it at the wild Pokémon with determination. The device engulfed the Pokémon and hit the ground, but it didn't have time to rock. Not even once. The Zorua broke free in the blink of an eye.

"No matter, it's just the first try..." Luana sighed.

Zorua let out a high pitched cry, leaped at Smeargle, and raked at him over three times before finally leaving him alone. It was hard to believe that Zorua had trouble standing up not even a minute ago. Smeargle rubbed his face to try to soothe the pain.

"Smeargle, try using Extreme Speed again!"

Smeargle attacked his opponent again, but this time the hit didn't affect Zorua as much. Luana threw another Poké Ball and a glimmer of hope shone through as she watched it rock once and then twice, but Zorua broke free again. She retrieved a third Poké Ball from her bag.

"I'm not giving up!" She threw the Poké Ball at the shiny rascal.

Her friends and their Pokémon watched not too far away. They held their breath every time Luana tossed a Poké Ball as if that could help the Zorua to be caught. Sadly, this time that didn't work either.

"Okay Smeargle, go with Flamethrower again," Luana commanded.

Smeargle released a new stream of flames but Zorua ran towards him. The fire touched it and Zorua whined, but that wasn't enough to stop it. Confused by the wild Pokémon's actions, Smeargle stopped the attack only to be met by a headbutt delivered by Zorua itself. The two Pokémon fell back, dizzy from the clash.

"That's enough Smeargle. Thanks for your help." Luana walked over to Smeargle and sprayed a Super Potion on him. Next, she addressed Ilima. "Thanks again for lending me your Smeargle."

"Again, it's not a problem." Ilima bowed his head. "I'm glad to be of aid."

"So, are you going to focus on throwing Poké Balls now?" Hau asked.

"Yes. I fear that if Smeargle hits it again, Zorua will faint." Luana turned her attention towards Zorua and cleared her throat.

Despite being injured, the Pokémon still stood its ground. Luana's Shiny Charm hung from its tail even after all the hits its body took.

Luana threw a fourth Poké Ball. Much to her disappointment, it only rocked once. Mallow and Hau shouted words of encouragement for her to continue. She threw another Poké Ball and Luana's heart almost stopped when she saw it rock more than two times. The device rocked a third time, but Zorua released himself from it shortly after.

"At least it looks like I'm getting closer..." Luana told herself.

The girl got ready to throw the sixth Poké Ball. The spherical device sucked Zorua into it yet again and dropped to the floor. This time, it only moved two times before the wild Pokémon escaped.

Trying to think what to do, Luana looked inside her bag. "Since it's night time," she thought out loud, "maybe I should use a Dusk Ball."

She made the switch and grabbed a Dusk Ball from her bag. Luana threw it at Zorua hoping for a different result, but it rocked twice like the previous time. Zorua broke free and adopted a defensive stance, staring at the girl.

"I'm gonna catch you no matter how long it takes!" Luana sent another Dusk Ball towards Zorua only to get an identical result.

Luana took a deep breath and let out the air in her lungs with a sigh. Her friends held their breath as she retrieved a new Dusk Ball from her bag. She repeated the throwing motion for what felt like the millionth time hoping things would turn out different.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The Dusk Ball trapped the wild Zorua inside and dropped to the floor. After reaching the ground, the device began rocking. Everyone stared at it intently watching how it rocked once, twice, then a third time. Nobody dared to make a sound.

A heartbeat later, a clicking sound coming from the Dusk Ball broke the silence. Luana and her friends stood still. The expectant silence lasted for mere seconds until finally, everyone broke into cheers and excited clapping. Even Juliette, who hates making herself heard, let out a joyous scream.

Luana ran towards the Ball and held it up triumphantly. "My first caught shiny!"

Hau approached his friend and hugged her. "Congratulations on the feat!" He made a little pause before continuing. "If it wasn't because most of tonight's events had a rational explanation, I would say everything was Zorua's doing."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Juliette joined in on the conversation. "Zorua is known for being highly mischievous."

Luana smiled. "We all can confirm _that's_ true!"

"Tonight sure was eventful." Ilima wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. "Now that we refuted the rumors of the school being haunted, we can go home."

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "My parents said they would be waiting for me. I don't want to keep them up late."

"I want to give my dad his new fishing rod before he goes to sleep." Lana looked at her dad's gift.

"Given that we all have something to do, I think this is goodbye. I hope everyone has a good night." Ilima smiled.

Everyone wished each other a good night. Soon, everybody headed in different directions. They all had the certainty everything had been solved at the school. The strange events were surely Zorua's doing, but...their minds would have changed if they saw the little girl and her Drifloon observing them in the distance.

Juliette and Luana walked back home together. At this time of night, there was next to no one on the streets. The girls had their respective Pokémon accompanying them. However, Juliette withdrew Poppy because the Bulbasaur was exhausted from the day's events.

"Today sure was a handful, huh?" Luana asked out loud with a smile.

"Yes, it was way more eventful than I thought it would be." Juliette paused for a moment. "By the way...I want to congratulate you on catching your first wild shiny."

Luana's smile grew wider. "Thank you so much, Juliette! Now I can't wait to tell my parents all about it!"

Juliette nodded. "I'm sure they will be proud. Did you think of a name yet?"

"Yes, I'm going to name him Lukela. It means 'like a fox' in Alolan."

"That's a very fitting name." Juliette gave her a small smile.

* * *

Less than half an hour went by until the girls reached Luana's house. It turned out her parents were already asleep.

"We will have to wait until tomorrow to show them Lukela." Luana shrugged.

The duo put on their pajamas and withdrew their Pokémon for the night. Juliette was already in her room. She answered some messages her family sent her, including her mother. _I can't believe I got mad at Mom earlier for not messaging me when I expected her to._

Not long after Juliette sent a goodnight message to her grandmother, someone knocked on the door. Juliette knew the person knocking would be Luana. "Come in!"

Sure enough, Luana opened the door. "I came to say that I'm going to bed."

Juliette was about to say something in response, but a different idea crossed her mind out of nowhere. "Luana?"

"Yes?" the other girl answered.

"Yesterday you said you wanted to see my drawings." Juliette stood up and walked towards the closet. "I'm ready to let you see them."

"That's awesome!" Luana's eyes sparkled.

Juliette retrieved her bag from the closet and sat on the edge of the bed. Luana sat beside her as the girl took out the sketchbook. Juliette handed it to her with a nervous smile.

"You're free to look through it. My most recent drawings are in the middle."

Luana opened the sketchbook in the middle as Juliette instructed. The pictures were entirely drawn with graphite pencils and her most recent drawings depicted various landscapes from Paniola Town. Juliette explained said landscapes were seen from various windows in her house.

"You're so good at drawing!" Luana eyed the drawings in awe. "Look at the way you drew these leaves, it's so detailed."

"Thank you." Juliette's cheeks turned pink. "Although I wish I was better at drawing buildings."

"I think your buildings are good." Luana smiled before turning her attention back to the drawings.

She flipped the pages backward encountering some more drawings of similar thematic. Luana dropped a compliment every now and then which made Juliette want to disappear.

Luana came across a drawing Juliette had been working on before her first day of school. The one where she compared school to jail. Luana raised an eyebrow at it and before she could take a better look, Juliette covered it with her hand. "Let's pretend you didn't see that, heh."

As Juliette said, Luana continued examining the sketchbook as if she saw nothing. Most of the pictures depicted various plants and flowers, from ferns to orchids. "You sure like nature," Luana commented. "Most of your drawings include plants."

"Yes, I've been fascinated with plant life since I was little."

Luana nodded and smiled at Juliette's statement. She kept looking through the drawings. There was a whole page filled with sketches of Halbert and Poppy. One of them depicted the two playing together. Before Luana could comment on it, Juliette took the notebook away from her with trembling hands.

"Uh...want to see my...favorite drawing subject?"

"Sure thing!" Luana didn't catch on Juliette's difficulty to complete a sentence, but she did notice her constant shaking. "Are you alright? Is it that you're embarrassed to show me?"

Juliette remained silent for a moment. "Yes and no." She fiddled with the corner of one of the pages. "Well, I'll admit I'm kind of shy about it."

"Don't worry, just show me!" Luana extended a hand towards the girl.

Juliette took a deep breath as she turned several pages of the sketchbook. She handed it back to Luana, lowered her gaze to the floor, and waited for her to say something.

It wasn't long until Luana spoke. "This is—"

"Yes." Juliette nodded. A smile formed in her lips. "That's Zygarde."

The drawing took up the whole page. It showed Zygarde coiled around Anistar City's sundial. The monument was falling to pieces.

"This is so well done…" Luana's eyes examined the picture. "You probably spent hours working on this."

"I did. It's one of the last things I drew while living in Kalos." Juliette went silent again, but she soon found the courage to continue speaking. "Since I was little, I've been dreaming of seeing this Pokémon by myself. All the tales my Father and Grandmother told me about him made me see him as a protector of sorts. I wished he would protect me too.

"When I lived in Kalos, I was bullied at school. I'm always absent and distracted and that somehow made me a target. Almost everyone in my class called me a weirdo and those who didn't ended up doing it at some point to fit in, I guess."

Luana put aside the sketchbook. She gasped and said, "Really?"

"I wish I was joking." Juliette gave her a sad smile. "My interests didn't help. I always loved my region's mythology, especially if it involved Zygarde. Sometimes if they noticed I was daydreaming someone said, 'Oh, you're thinking about your imaginary friend again' and that took me back to reality."

Not even a second after Juliette finished speaking, Luana pulled her in for a hug. "I never imagined you were treated like that." After a brief moment, she undid the hug. "Is that why you said you never had any friends?"

"Yes." Juliette nodded. "The reason I said I sort of had someone back in Kalos is, well...Zygarde, as weird as it sounds. Now that I'm in a different region, I'm never seeing it." _Or so I think_ , Juliette kept in mind that magazine her grandmother showed her on their first day in Alola.

"Oh, don't write it off yet. Everything is possible in Alola." Luana winked. "By the way," she lowered her voice, "don't hesitate to talk to me about anything you want. I won't shame you for your interests or your way of being. I know the others won't either."

Juliette blinked a few times in bewilderment. She could not find any coherent words in her mind. "T-thank you." Juliette stared at the wall ahead of her. The two remained silent for a short span of time until Juliette turned her head towards Luana again. "You...you might be the first real friend I've ever had. Nobody outside of my family has ever told me that."

Without a word, Luana hugged her again. This time the embrace was tighter and Juliette didn't hesitate to reciprocate it. "I'm glad to call you my friend," Luana said, ending the hug. "I hope you hang out with me and others more outside of school from now on."

"If I'm available, sure," Juliette smiled.

"Oh, one more thing! I'd like you to bring your family over to the Café. They'll always be welcome."

"I will. I'm sure my Grandmother will love to go." Juliette looked at the clock. It was two o'clock in the morning. "It's pretty late. I don't mean to keep you awake."

"No worries, I don't mind," Luana reassured her with a yawn. "Although you're right. I didn't realize it was this late. I'm going to bed for good now. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight." Juliette waved her hand briefly at Luana as she watched her do the same from the doorway before closing it.

Juliette got up with her sketchbook at hand. She stared at the Zygarde picture she drew not so long ago. _I always wondered if he watched over me in some way and I wished so hard he would free me from those kids. Maybe, just maybe, me moving to this region can be seen like that. Being fred from what damaged me._

After putting her sketchbook and bag back in the closet, Juliette settled herself into bed. The floral fan hung above her one more night. _What if all I experienced today was a dream and not reality? It's been such a great day. It would be a shame if it turned out to be just a dream..._ Her eyelids started to become heavier to the point where it was hard to keep her eyes open. Juliette accepted it was time to rest and allowed herself to drift off to sleep. Whatever was in store for her, it would have to wait until she recharged her batteries.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The great escape**

 ** _One month later_**

"That's why Alolan Exeggutor's neck is so long. Remember kids: without adaptation, there's no survival!"

With that sentence, Oak concluded his first lesson of the day. It dealt with the changes Pokémon with Alolan forms underwent to adapt to the Alolan climate.

Juliette could barely catch onto the last sentence. She had to scribble it down in her notebook as fast as she could. No matter how much she wanted to pay attention, Juliette's mind was busy with other thoughts; namely with all of the changes in her life during the last month.

Ever since that weekend at Luana's house, Juliette had been going out with her and the others somewhat often. When she was with them, there never was a dull moment for Juliette. She even found herself less and less afraid of calling them her friends. Not only that, but she also managed to feel at ease in the school. The only thing that kept giving her bad vibes was Telford and Chaos' presence. However, they didn't bother her at all except for some weird glances.

"Alright students," Oak spoke, "I'm _Leavanny_ now. Please wait for Professor Kukui. He should be back soon." Oak picked up his Komala and left the class.

It wouldn't be too long until Kukui arrived, but the students took this intermission as a time engage in some idle talk. "I'm looking forward to our next class. I wonder what it's about," Sophocles told Juliette.

"Me too. I hope it's as interesting as this one," Juliette answered, eyeing the half-empty page in her notebook out of the corner of her eye.

"It's amazing how Alolan Vulpix can endure warmer temperatures just by using its tail!" Lillie thought out loud while going over her notes.

"Indeed," Mallow replied. "Nature is extraordinary." Her Comfey squealed to reaffirm the girl's words.

Not even two minutes later, Kukui arrived in the class accompanied by his Rockruff. Both stood in front of the desk. "Hello everyone," the man greeted. "Before we start, I'd like to inform you all that today's class will be a bit different."

Murmuring surfaced between the students. "Why is that?" Lana asked.

"Today we have two special guests." Kukui turned his head towards the door. "Please, come in!"

The door opened and a couple walked into the classroom. When Juliette saw the two individuals, her eyes opened wide and her heart began racing to the point Juliette feared it would stop beating at any given time. To top it off, her hands—which she had placed on her desk—began trembling.

Kukui continued speaking. "Meet Sina and Dexio. They are the helpers of Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region."

Sophocles noticed Juliette's shaky hands. "Are you alright?

Luana turned around and eyed Juliette with her eyebrows furrowed. Juliette smiled at her two friends. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Poppy climbed up onto Juliette's lap and lied down, hoping that would help soothe her Trainer. Juliette held her Pokémon close in response. _Come on Juliette, calm down already._

Meanwhile, Dexio was addressing the class. " _Bonjour à tous!_ My name is Dexio, and my partner here is Sina."

"We've been traveling Alola for some time," Sina added, "However, today we're here to aid Professor Kukui in his lesson. But first we'd like to talk about an interesting subject."

Dexio's eyes examined the faces of the students and smiled at their curious stares. "Who here has heard of the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde?"

" _Huh,_ " Juliette let out a gasp so loud it echoed across the classroom. Now everybody's eyes—including Sina and Dexio's—were on her and she wanted to disappear. "Don't mind me. Please continue."

Sina gave the awkward moment barely any thought as she repeated the question. "Well? Have any of you heard of Zygarde?"

Before anyone could raise their hand, Luana raised hers. Juliette did the same, albeit with some hesitation.

"Yes?" Dexio pointed at Luana.

"Zygarde is a Pokémon mentioned in Kalosian legends. It maintains the order and balance of the region."

Dexio smiled. "Correct!"

"What about the _mademoiselle_ behind you?" Sina craned her neck to look at Juliette.

The girl's cheeks and ears grew warmer. "I-I um, know it's an important Pokémon in the Kalos region's lore. I also remember hearing it's made up of five cores and one hundred cells."

" _Oui!_ " Dexio's enthusiastic response startled everyone in the class, even Kukui. For the second time in less than two minutes, Juliette wanted to disappear. "It's nice to encounter people who know about it. Before we continue, we'd like to discuss this Pokémon's legend. Sina?"

"Thanks, Dexio." The young woman took the floor. "As your classmates have said, Zygarde is a Legendary Pokémon from the Kalos region. It is said to live in the depths of a forgotten cave in Kalos. Not only does it guard the order and balance of the region, but it also monitors the ecosystem and punishes those who threaten it."

"Most people believe Zygarde hides an overwhelming power that it would reveal if the region was in danger," Dexio added in.

Juliette listened to Sina and Dexio with her elbows propped on her desk and her hands pressed to her cheeks. Hearing them talk about the various things Zygarde was said to have done brought back pleasant memories from her childhood. The two even talked about her favorite tale: the one where Zygarde exiled miscreants who harmed the ecosystem to the southern side of Kalos.

Dexio cleared his throat. "Now that Sina and I explained all the amazing things Zygarde is capable of, we're ready to reveal why we are here."

"Remember when your classmate mentioned Zygarde's cores and cells?" Sina asked. "It has to do with that."

"We are looking for volunteers to help us gather one hundred Zygarde cells! We've spoken to Professor Kukui and he agreed that it could serve as an interesting after-school activity."

At that moment, everything clicked for Juliette. _This is what the magazine was talking about. This is what Grandma has been hiding from me all this time. Why did she do that?_ The girl was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Luana looking at her with an expectant smile.

"Who would like to help with the task?" Sina's eyes darted across the room.

"Unfortunately I can't do that," Kiawe spoke first. "My family owns a farm and we're busy most of the time."

"I have the same problem. My parents own a restaurant and they need my help," Mallow said.

"Same here." Luana waved her hand.

"That's too bad! What about you?" Dexio looked at Lillie.

"I'd love to take part, but I have familial obligations."

"Me too," Lana chimed in. "I take care of my little sisters."

Hau scratched the back of his head. "The idea sounds exciting, but I'd have to think about it."

"I'm not sure about joining, to be honest." Sophocles directed his gaze at the floor.

Kukui gave his guests a nervous smile. He gestured towards Telford and Chaos. "What about you guys?"

"Dude, are you serious?" Chaos sprawled on his seat. "We have way better things to do than go on some wannabe Easter egg hunt."

"Nah," Telford said blatantly with a shrug. "I doubt looking for what's-his-name is that interesting."

Juliette shook her head at Telford and Chaos' comments. Despite that, their ignorant words had no priority in her mind. She was more worried by her inability to say anything as she tried to process what was happening. Sina and Dexio came to her class and they asked for people to help them find Zygarde cells. Because of various reasons, none of her classmates wanted to join them. If Juliette said she did want to help them, would it matter? She was the only person who felt interested.

The girl had to make up her mind before it was too late.

* * *

The school bell rang signaling the start of recess. Sina and Dexio stuck around for the rest of the lesson. They discussed Zygarde's biology in more detail and then helped Kukui with the day's subject: how a Pokémon's biology affects its moves.

The class was almost empty. Only Juliette, Hau, Luana, Sophocles, and their Pokémon were remaining.

"I'll go ahead and wait for you guys on the courtyard," Juliette said while grabbing her bag.

"Alright," Luana answered with a smile.

Juliette left the class and walked down the hallway accompanied by Poppy. The Bulbasaur walked happily behind her Trainer until Juliette stood petrified. She didn't notice her Pokémon bump into her. She was too busy watching–and hearing–what's happening in front of her.

Sina and Dexio were getting closer to the door and they were having a relaxed talk.

"Meeting those students was great, but now I'm tired." Dexio stretched as he spoke.

Sina giggled at his gesture. "Me too. We should go to the hotel and relax for a while. We can go sightseeing later."

"You're right," Dexio replied. "Since it's Friday, there must be plenty to do!"

Sina and Dexio left the building. Juliette hasn't moved an inch ever since she saw those two. She was immersed in her thoughts. _If I start running, maybe I can catch them and say I'm interested in looking for Zygarde cells. I wish I was brave enough to chase after them…but they might see me as a weirdo._

"Hey!" Hau's voice brought her back to reality. "Why are you standing so still?"

"Oh," Juliette tittered, "I thought I left my lunch back in class, but it turns out I do have it."

"You're carrying your bag," Sophocles pointed out. "There's no way you forgot lunch..."

"Yes, you're right…" Juliette sighed and began walking.

The group ambled through the hallway. Soon, Luana decided it was time to start a conversation. "Hey, Juliette."

"Yes?"

"I'm surprised you didn't say anything when Sina and Dexio asked for volunteers. Why didn't you raise your hand or something?" Luana eyed her friend with expectancy.

"I remember one day you mentioned liking that Pokémon," Hau intervened.

Juliette crossed her arms and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I said nothing because I prefer asking my family for permission beforehand, that's all."

"I'm sure they would have had no problem with that. What's more," Luana said as she lifted her index finger, "they would have been proud that you decided to sign up for an after-school activity."

"It might be too late now," Sophocles muttered distractedly. "Sina and Dexio might go back to Kalos during the weekend."

"You're right..." Juliette sighed with resignation.

Luana put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Hey, don't be sad! I'm sure you'll have a new chance in the future."

"Yeah, I sure hope so." Juliette gave her a lopsided smile. _No, that won't happen...unless I do something about it._

The group reached the courtyard and headed for a bench where Lana, Mallow, Lillie, and Kiawe sat.

"Hello," Juliette mumbled.

"Hey!" Hau greeted his friends and gave Kiawe a fist bump. He then sat on a bench right next to the one where the others sat.

Juliette, Luana, and Sophocles sat on the same bench as Hau. Juliette put Poppy on her lap but as soon as they settled, the Bulbasaur leaped and approached Lukela. She began frolicking with the shiny Zorua.

"Isn't that adorable?" Mallow's eyes lit up.

Luana nodded. "It sure is! They often play together."

"I find ironic Poppy and I's personalities are total opposites," Juliette said, smiling at Poppy's antics, "yet we get along pretty well."

"The same could be said for you and me, don't you think?" Luana grinned at Juliette.

Juliette nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yes, you're right."

As the other began conversations of their own, Juliette focused on her lunch. She took her sandwich out of the brown paper bag it sat in and took a small bite. Juliette usually didn't mind the crust, but her mind demanded to be occupied. It didn't matter with what. She was trying her hardest to avoid thinking of her mistake.

Despite that, her efforts were futile. _Why did I have to be quiet? How could I pass up something like that? I spent years hoping something like this would happen and now that the day finally came, I let it go. Curse my shyness and curse my fear of being made fun of._

Juliette looked around her. Her friends were still immersed in various conversations. Poppy was now playing with Kiawe's Marowak and Lana's Araquanid. Everyone was unaware of her inner turmoil. _Everyone is having a good time. If they noticed my bad mood, I might ruin theirs and I don't want that. I must try and find a way to fix my mistake instead of beating myself up over it._

 _There are two major hotels here in Heahea City: Tide Song Hotel and Hano Grand Resort. They could be in either one but...they said "hotel" and not "resort". Although Hano Grand Resort is still a hotel. Does the choice of words matter?_

Juliette's ears caught onto something Sophocles was talking about. "That reminds me, my cousin is working on a special Virtual Reality system. It allows the user to simulate battles with other Trainers.

"It will take months for it to be ready, but I'm sure the end result will be amazing."

Kiawe whistled in astonishment. "That sounds like an important invention. Will you help your cousin with it?"

"Yes," Sophocles answered, his eyes lighting up, "I already talked to him about it. He said I can go help him during the weekends."

"That invention would be great for me," Hau said with a wide smile, "I could practice battling my grandfather."

"Virtual Reality is a great escape from reality, isn't it?" Lana giggled.

Luana gasped and gave Lana a wide-eyed stare. "Don't say that to Hau!"

"I was only joking." Lana stuck out her tongue apologetically.

Juliette reviewed their words in her mind. _Virtual Reality is a great escape. Great...escape..._

She repeated those two words in her thoughts until a crazy idea emerged. It would be risky, but she felt it was worth it.

Juliette was going to ditch school after recess.

Unable to control her impulses, Juliette got up from the bench and let out a triumphant exclamation. " _Got it!_ " She soon regretted her action. Her friends and some nearby students stared at her. "Sorry, I just thought of a possible answer for one of the exercises Oak gave us as homework."

"Come to notice it now," Kiawe said, looking at the girl, "you've barely spoken today, Juliette."

Lana nodded in agreement. "It's true. You seem more absent than usual."

"Don't worry," Juliette replied, giving a dismissive wave of her hand, "I'm a bit distracted, but I'm alright. Quite alright, in fact."

* * *

 _I can't believe I'm actually doing this._

The four walls of one of the stalls in the girls' bathroom surrounded Juliette. She had next to no room to move, but she was there by choice. As soon as the bell rang, Juliette made an excuse to separate from the group and withdrew Poppy into her Poké Ball. Afterwards, she headed for the bathroom.

Despite being free of onlookers, Juliette could not fathom on what to do to escape. _If I didn't spend the entirety of recess with them, then I probably would've known what to do by now. I can't think of a place that can lead me outside without getting caught. Why did I have to get myself into this? Why didn't I speak up when I had to? I'm sure if I don't hurry up Sina and Dexio will change their plans and go somewhere else. I'll never be able to find them._

Juliette was starting to consider the idea of taking an exploratory walk in the courtyard. She already knew the layout, but if she wanted to escape, Juliette had to look for details she most likely was unaware of. Luckily for her, it was unusual for someone to be in the courtyard at that this given time.

As Juliette got up from the toilet, the sound of several people approaching the bathroom prompted her to sit back down. _I should have known somebody would come to use the bathroom..._ The girl listened carefully and hoped the newcomers would leave soon.

No such luck.

"...that's why I think she's in the bathroom."

"Oh Lana," Luana reprimanded, "there was no need to be so eschatological!"

"I was just kidding," Lana answered in a softer tone.

 _Please tell me they're not here for me._ Juliette took off her cap and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She shoved her hair back away from her face and put her cap back on.

"I can't help but worry," Mallow was the one speaking now, "when she made that exclamation all of sudden when we were in the benches… That's not like her."

"Right?" Luana agreed. "She hates doing anything that could draw attention to her."

Juliette contained a sigh. _They are making a mountain out of a molehill!_ The girl leaned back in her seat and looked up. There was a square-shaped window right above the toilet. Juliette's eyes widened. _What if...?_

Juliette stood up and put her foot on the toilet, careful not to make too much noise. She checked the distance from window to ground. It wasn't too high up—just over meter and a half. Her decision was clear.

Ignoring the conversations going on on the other side, Juliette grabbed her bag and threw it out the window. It landed a few feet away and most importantly, the Poké Balls didn't open. Her Pokémon were safe. Now it was her turn.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed up on top of the tank. With the open window right in front of her, Juliette held onto the sill and pulled out one leg. The other was still resting on the toilet's tank. _I'm halfway there. Please don't fall now, Juliette!_ After several seconds of hesitation, Juliette tightened her grip on the sill and pulled out the other leg. Now she was hanging more than a meter above the ground.

A suspicious thud interrupted the three girls on the other side as they kept talking. Luana raised a finger in front of her, asking for silence. She opened the stall's door with an abrupt movement.

It was empty. The only thing that stood out to the girls was the open window up at the top.

Luana tried to speak but her teeth wouldn't stop chattering. After recomposing herself, Luana could barely make out a few words. "D-did she r-really just...?"

"I told you so," Lana raised her voice and crossed her arms. "She's been acting weird ever since recess started."

"I wonder why that is..." Mallow rested her chin on her hand.

"I know exactly why." Luana stared at the open window with her forehead furrowed.

While the three girls discussed in the bathroom, Juliette had reached the fence and climbed a good portion of it. Half of her body stuck above the fence. _How do I do this now? I might fall if I'm not careful.._.

Juliette looked down at her school bag. She threw it over the fence before starting with the climb. After a couple of deep breaths, she gathered enough courage to continue.

She pulled her right leg over the fence and rested her foot on a horizontal bar that crossed it. Juliette tightened her grip on the bars and repeated the process with her left leg. With her legs hanging in the air yet again, she closed her eyes and let go of the bars.

Her feet landed on the floor with a thud. Juliette opened her eyes. The sight of the school behind the fence's white bars made her grin. She really did it. She escaped school for the first time in her life. _Hey, at least I did it for a good cause!_

Juliette put on her bag and dashed away without even thinking of a direction. The adrenaline shooting through her clouded her thinking process. She reveled in the feeling of freedom she was experiencing, but that ended when Juliette remembered the purpose of her "escapade". She had to find Sina and Dexio.

The girl leaned against a wall to catch her breath. She took a look at her surroundings. The area had a couple of small supermarkets and some clothing shops aimed at tourists. A lone photo booth stood several meters away from one of the aforementioned clothing shops.

 _I have no idea where I'm at, but I'm certain that I'm nowhere near the hotel._

Clueless on where to go next, Juliette began walking down the closest sidewalk. When she reached a corner and turned, a similar looking street opened up in front of her. The only difference was that this one had much more people passing through it. _If anyone noticed that I should be in school right now, I'd get in trouble...and I would be unable to talk to Sina and Dexio._ Juliette lowered her gaze and pulled down her cap. Next, the girl headed west. If she looked ahead of her, Juliette would've noticed the ocean to the north.

Aimlessly, Juliette trekked on. She turned around various corners in hope that she would magically end up next to the hotel. Unfortunately for her, that is not what happened. Deep down, she suspected that she was actually straying further from her goal. She avoided making eye contact with a passersby and feigned interest in the different window displays.

Glancing at one of the displays, Juliette analyzed her current situation. _I'm alone in Heahea City with no known person to turn to. I can't ask anybody for help. I can't even go to the Tourist Bureau… They'd notice I'm skipping school. What do I do?_

Juliette trudged through the crowd with her shoulders slumped. _Maybe I should just give up..._ Juliette shook her head at the thought. _No, I can't do that! I will go on until the end...and I know who will help me._

With a new plan in store, Juliette ventured into an alley and took her phone out of her bag. She dialed her grandmother's number. After a single dial tone, the woman picked up the phone.

"Juliette?" Édith's voice sounded surprised. "Aren't you at school?"

"I won't beat around the bush," Juliette sighed, "no, I'm not."

A gasp came from the other side. "Why is that? Did something happen?"

"I escaped." Juliette remained silent and waited for her grandmother to say something, but that didn't happen. She continued. "Sina and Dexio were there today. They talked about Zygarde."

"Oh..." Édith murmured in a soft tone.

"They were looking for volunteers to help them gather Zygarde cells and cores." Again, Juliette made a pause. She took a deep breath and she finally asked the question that had been burning her mind. "Grandma... Is that what they were referring to in the interview you showed me?"

"Yes." Édith's voice took a blunt tone her granddaughter wasn't used to. "I'll admit I sort of wanted to hide it from you, but only for a bit."

" _Grandma!_ " Juliette squeaked. "Why would you do that?"

"Please, Julie. Don't get mad at me," Édith pleaded. "There's a reason why I didn't let you know right away. I wanted to wait until you had spent some time going to school.

I hoped you'd see there was nothing to fear now and it looks like you finally realized. Seeing you with Luana and the others makes me immensely happy. You adapted super well and I'm very proud of you. Because of that, I was going to reveal the truth this weekend...but Sina and Dexio beat me to it, haha."

Juliette listened to what her grandmother was saying in complete silence. She was at a loss for words. "Um… Grandma...?"

"Yes?"

" _You are the best grandma I could ever ask for!_ " Juliette didn't notice the passersby glancing down the alley after hearing her. At that moment, she didn't care either.

Édith chuckled. "I try my best." She cleared her throat in a theatrical way. "You called me for a reason, right? What do you need?"

"You see, when class ended I overheard Sina and Dexio talk about going to a hotel. I figured they were talking about the Tide Song Hotel, so I'm trying to get there and tell them I'm interested in—"

"Hold up," Édith interrupted her, "they asked for people to help them look for Zygarde Cells...and you said nothing?"

"I was too nervous and a bit embarrassed. I know I should have said something then and there but I couldn't. So now I'm lost in Heahea City because I can't find the hotel. I'm afraid of asking people for directions. I don't want them to realize I escaped from school. They would send me back."

"Alright," Édith said cheerfully, "tell me your location. I'll sit down on the computer and look for it on Silph Maps."

Juliette emerged from the alleyway as she heard her grandmother talk. She stood in front of a small bar with an orange sign. "There's a bar called Sun Stone Bar right in front of me."

"Okay..." Édith typed on the computer and opened the Silph Maps website. After a moment, she gave her granddaughter the information she waited for. "Turns out you're not too far from the hotel!"

"Really?" Juliette cracked a smile.

"Yes, really. You only have to walk straight two blocks and turn right at the next corner. Then walk straight for around ten minutes—as this thing puts it—and then turn left. You'll be next to a tall white building. Turn right and keep walking down the sidewalk until you reach the road that leads to Tide Song Hotel. You can't miss it."

"Thank you so much for the help, Grandma," Juliette beamed.

"You're most welcome, Julie. Do you think you can remember it all?"

"Yes, I can. I'm repeating it in my mind like a mantra as we speak."

"That's good," Édith nodded and smiled at the other side, "I hope you get lucky. I congratulate you on your resolve. I'm sure you'll make it."

"Thanks again, Grandma." Without giving her grandmother any time to answer, Juliette hung up.

She took a deep breath. With her grandmother's directions fresh in her mind, Juliette began walking again. She had just one chance and zero intention to waste it.

* * *

Following her grandmother's directions didn't take Juliette much time. She had been walking with swift steps which helped her save some precious time. Juliette was now in the pathway that led to the hotel. The exterior appearance of it had her staring in awe as she walked.

The building had a marked maritime motif. The silhouette of various Water type Pokémon—such as Staryu, Magikarp and Chinchou—lined the facade, which was predominantly white with some light blue streaks. A fountain depicting a Horsea surrounded by various hibiscus was at the end of the path and in front of the entrance.

After reaching the front door, Juliette opened it and walked into the hotel with a deep breath. She headed straight for the reception. The beige and blue carpeted floor muffled the sound of her steps.

The receptionist greeted her with the rainbow shaped gesture. "Alola! Welcome to Tide Song Hotel—" the woman stopped dead in her tracks. She had noticed Juliette's youthful features and the school bag hanging from her back. The receptionist raised an eyebrow. "Uh, how can I help you?"

Instead of looking at the receptionist, Juliette eyed the keys that hung on a panel behind the woman. She cleared her throat and repeated the greeting. "Alola, I'm looking for two guests in this hotel. I'd like to talk to them."

"I need to ask, what do you need that information for?"

Juliette's body tensed. "I just need to talk to them," her voice's pitch raised. "I must tell them something."

The receptionist nodded slowly. "Uh huh... Where are your parents?"

Juliette screamed internally. She exhaled and pursed her lips for a moment as she tried to avoid making those screams external. "You see...my parents are—they're the ones who want me to talk to these people. They need me to deliver a message but they're busy working."

"Sure," the receptionist muttered. She went back to her usual tone. "Well then, who are these guests you are looking for?"

"Their names are Sina and Dexio," Juliette blurted.

"Sina and Dexio, right?" The woman typed in her computer. "According to this, they are in room 208."

"Room 208? Alright, thank you so much!" Juliette quickly dashed away and headed for the elevator on the left of the reception.

The receptionist followed Juliette with her eyes. She looked away with a slight shrug once the teen walked into the elevator.

A few seconds later, that same elevator stopped at its destination: the second floor. Juliette stepped out and began walking down the corridor—which kept the same theme as the rest of the hotel. Sky blue streaks crossed the white walls and contrasted with the dark brown parquet flooring.

Juliette noticed the rooms were numbered so the odd-numbered rooms were on the left and the even rooms on the right. As soon as she saw the sign for room 207 on the left side of the corridor, she knew the moment of truth had arrived.

The girl stopped in front of room 208's door. _You can do this, Juliette!_ She counted to ten and hesitated before knocking on the door. Juliette looked around her to verify she was alone in the hallway. No one was in sight. _Alright, let's do this._

Juliette knocked on the door and took a couple of steps back. She was containing her breath and all she could hear was her racing heart. In a few seconds, the door opened and Juliette could swear her heart stopped.

Dexio was the one to open the door. "Hello—" The man gave her a shocked glance. "Weren't you one of the kids we saw today? It's still school hours," he said, looking at his wristwatch.

"Wait, you're skipping school?" Sina appeared next to Dexio. She was now wearing sunglasses.

"We promise we won't tell anyone," Dexio whispered. "You won't get in trouble."

Juliette sighed and hung her head. "Yes, I am skipping school, but...I need to talk to you two."

"How about you come inside?" Sina smiled at the teen. "You'll be more comfortable."

"I agree," Dexio chimed in. "Although we don't have much time. We were about to go somewhere."

"I'm sorry. I'll be as brief as possible."

Sina and Dexio moved away from the door and Juliette walked into the room. The pair pointed at a couple of loveseats—one in front of the other—in the right corner of the room. Juliette sat down as Sina and Dexio sat on the couch in front of her.

An awkward silence filled the room as soon as everyone was settled. Dexio cleared his throat and Sina rested her hands on her lap. Juliette's gaze was fixated on the floor. She was trying to find the right words to say. _You shouldn't be wasting their time. Go._

"So," Juliette began speaking, "I came here because I'm interested in the assignment. I want to help collect Zygarde Cells and Cores."

Sina nodded and smiled. "That's great, but..."

"...why didn't you tell us before, when we were in class?"

"I didn't say anything before because...I was too shocked by the idea. I've been hoping for something like this to happen for as long as I can remember." She looked at Sina and Dexio to see their reaction. They were calm and expected her to continue. "So, now that it finally happened, I didn't know how to react.

Although I sort of knew about this already. My Grandmother has been teasing it for the past few weeks, but she wouldn't let me know what it was. Besides that, I was embarrassed and that kept me from saying anything."

Sina nodded. "I see..."

"I understand where you're coming from, but," Dexio said, leaning forward, "there was no need for you to run away from school. You could have asked Kukui and he would have given you our number."

Juliette's eyes widened. "Oh..." She gave them a nervous smile. _Why didn't I think of that before?_ "You're right, but I was so nervous I didn't even consider that possibility."

"Don't worry," Sina answered, "it's hard to think straight when one is excited."

"Sina is right. Besides, seeing people show interest in our assignment is always welcome."

"Then...I'm in?"

"Yes! However..." Sina looked at her partner.

"...there is one last thing. Sina?"

"Since the weekend is coming, I think it'd be better to discuss this in full detail next Monday. Besides, that'll give you time to think this over."

 _I don't think I need to think it over. I haven't felt this sure in a long time._ Juliette beamed at them. "Yes, I agree. Still, I want to thank you both for accepting me."

"It's no bother!" Dexio smiled. "You should probably tell your family about it."

"Yes, they need to know too," Sina added.

"True, true." Juliette nodded. _I also need to think of how to explain the fact I ditched school._ "So...I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yes, we'll see you again next Monday."

Sina took out her phone. "Let us give you our number so we can keep in touch. If you have a question or you changed your mind, you can always send a message."

Juliette smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, but I doubt I'll change my mind on this."

The two adults gave Juliette their numbers and she gave them hers. After checking they got it right, they all got up from the couches. Sina and Dexio accompanied Juliette to the door.

"See you on Monday," Sina said, "and have a good weekend."

"Will you go back to school now?" Dexio questioned.

"Uh... Yes." Juliette lowered her gaze. "I guess I have lots of explaining to do. See you on Monday!"

With a wave of goodbye, Juliette began walking away. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She smiled with confidence as she made her way back to the elevator. As unusual as the smile was—at least for her—the situation called for it. Juliette just granted herself access to her wildest dream.

Once inside the elevator, she leaned her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. _Congratulations, you made the right choice,_ she told herself, her smile widening.

When Juliette arrived to Alola, she craved changes in her life. Those changes have begun to unravel and she gave the biggest one yet a push for it to begin.


End file.
